Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Place the quinces cut side down in a baking dish. In a jug, combine the sugar, water and Vanilla Paste and stir well until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sugar water over the quinces and cover the baking dish with foil. This will allow the quinces to poach while the sugar water becomes syrupy.

Place the quinces into the hot oven and turn the heat down to 170˚C. Baste the quinces occasionally during cooking.

After 2 hours, remove the foil, flip the quinces over and continue baking for a further 30 minutes. If the syrup is reducing too much, add a little extra water to the baking dish. Once the quinces are beautifully red and caramelized, remove from the oven.

Serve the quinces with a drizzle of the reduced syrup and a generous dollop of ice cream or double cream.

Tip: Use these baked quinces in these delicious Quince & Almond Puddings