Quince Gin, or any fruit flavoured gin is really easy to do, you just need a big jar, some fruit, a bit of sugar, gin and some time. Put the jar to one side, making sure you shake the jar every few days. Leave the quince to sit in the gin for 3-6 weeks.

We have a quince tree in our garden, so most autumns we are blessed with a fairly decent crop of fruit. Most of this goes towards making quince jelly, which is excellent with cheese, but this year I put aside two nice big quinces for ginning with. It’s simple to do, you just need patience. How to make your own Quince Gin You will need: Remove the quince from the heat. Spoon the fruit and its cooking syrup into a baking dish approximately 24cm in diameter. Break the panettone into large bite-sized pieces, then push them down into the fruit. A fruity gin that combines the quinces natural balance of tart and sweet flavouring, reminiscent of pear & sour apple, with the smooth traditional base of our London Dry Gin. The overall effect is a bright and zesty gin with hints of juniper, coriander and aromatic floral notes. To sterilise your jars and bottles, put your clean jars in a low oven for at least half an hour. Carefully remove your jars from the oven (they will be incredibly hot) and allow them to cool down a little.I first made this with brioche, but panettone is much easier to find. The occasional nub of candied peel from the sweet bread is pleasing, too. The aroma of Whitley Neill Quince Gin is quite lovely. Lots of quince— its has some hints of Honeycrisp apple, round soft notes of canned Bartlett pear and a spiced juniper note. In other words, it’s immediately recognizable as quince and gin. When you're happy with the flavour, sieve to remove any solids, then pass through a very fine piece of muslin or a coffee filter to get rid of any sediment.

This limited edition, seasonal offering was inspired by a fruiting Quince tree growing near our Copper House distillery. It’s tangy, tart flavours sit somewhere between an apple and pear, and it produces delicate aromas of tropical fruit...If I had a box of fruits appear on my doorstep, I would certainly have a go at making quince jelly to eat with cheese. And I wouldn’t stop at the firm Spanish cheeses that this slightly gritty amber spread traditionally accompanies. The sweet paste shines with goat’s cheeses and blues alike. I like the idea of making a tiny parcel of blue cheese, wrapping it in pastry and serving it with membrillo, as quince paste is known, on the side. Chop up your two clean quinces as small as you can be bothered to do. I removed the small core and the pips. Once they’re all chopped up, add them to your large jar and top up with 30g of sugar. Put the lid on your jar and give it a good shake. Herbs & plants: rosemary, thyme, lavender, mint, elderflowerRemember, the more you use the stronger the flavour. Use around 200-400g of fruit per litre of spirit. The quince hails from modern day Iran/Turkey and is said to have a flavor that contains notes of lemon, jasmine flowers, orange blossoms, pineapples, D’anjou pears and even apple (depending on who you ask). In other words, the fact that the fruits flavor defies simple description explains it best— quince is really its own thing. If you’ve had it, you know it. If you haven’t, it’s tough to make a point of reference. When the time is up, take your sterilised bottle and using a funnel with some muslin or a coffee filter in it; strain the gin into the bottle. I found that it was best if I strained it twice. Just make sure you replacing the muslin with a new piece after the first straining.

Place a large heavy-based cooking pot over a low heat and tip in the cubed quince, the caster sugar, 250ml of water and the remaining half of the lemon. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat so the quince simmers very gently. Partially cover with a lid. Let the fruit cook for about 40 minutes, during which time it will change colour to glowing yellow-pink. Stir the mixture regularly to make sure it doesn’t catch and burn. There should be quite a bit of syrup. There is a temptation to leave them in a bowl on the kitchen table, their soft roses ’n’ honey scent getting more pronounced as the room warms. But no – every quince needs cooking, where its impenetrable flesh will soften almost to jelly and turn the colour of a winter sunset. This is, after all, probably one of the few fruits you truly cannot eat raw. Place the quince, sugar, spices and vanilla in the jar and top up with gin, up to one inch from the top, making sure all the ingredients are covered. Shake regularly for the first couple of days to make sure the sugar dissolves. Leave in a cool dark place for at least three months or no longer than one year. Strain the liquid through a muslin cloth and bottle. Bake for 30 minutes or till the surface is crisp but still pale gold, perhaps a little toasted here and there. Serve with double cream. Poached quince, gorgonzola cream

Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. The quinces must be thoroughly tender before being removed from the syrup. Remove the quince halves with a draining spoon, reserving a little of the syrup for moistening the fruit as you serve it. Keep the rest, refrigerated, for poaching other fruits. (Lightly perfumed, it will work for both apples and pears.) Set the quinces aside to cool. The first thing I did was measure how much gin my decorative bottle would take. My bottle would hold 350mls of gin, so allowing for a little bit of wastage during the straining process, and me having a little taste, I measured out 380mls of gin and poured it into a large sterilised jar. A small jump from pears with roquefort: quince and panettone pudding. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin/Observer