Saint Mathieu is a traditional cooking pear, originating from the border areas of northern France and Belgium.
The pears are not very palatable for eating fresh because the flesh is quite hard and tannic. However they come into their own when baked or stewed.
Next deliveries: January - February 2025
Let me know when Saint Mathieu pear trees are back in stock.
If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.
Saint Mathieu trees are naturally vigorous, and are traditionally grown on standard seedling rootstocks. Old trees get very tall and impressive.
While you can gently cook dessert pears, their sweet soft flesh can become simply bland in the kitchen. If you want to really cook with pears you need to use dedicated culinary varieties. These typically have very hard dense flesh, with strong but not particularly palatable flavours when eaten raw. The application of heat - typically by baking, poaching, or stewing - transforms and brings out their flavours.
