Courtesan - single variety perry
The English words for apple, pear and tree are all derived from Old English, and their meaning has remained unchanged for centuries, probably for as long as the language has been spoken. The meaning of the word “courtesan”, on the other hand, has changed remarkably quickly. A few hundred years ago, in feudal times, it referred to servants who were trusted to take messages to visiting dignitaries of the court, a perfectly respectable rôle, whose nomenclature was derived from the even more respectable rôle of courtier.
A couple of hundred years later, the word referred to a mistress, a kept lady of a wealthy or influential person (and, yes, almost all courtesans seem to have been women in the pay of men, rather than the other way round, or in other arrangements). A courtier with added benefits, as it were. Likewise, “to court” and “courtship” have changed in time, their original meaning of behaving as a courtier now replaced with something of more amorous intent.
And how does this relate to our Courtesan perry? It’s a single variety perry, made only with Blakeney Red perry pears, which are also known as Painted Lady, a reference, no doubt, to the attractive red blush that appears on many, if not most, of them. And a painted lady is - or was - a colloquial name for a person who made their living in a way similar to a latter-day courtesan.
Blakeney Red or Painted Lady?
Blakeney Red is a multi-purpose pear. We use it to make perry, but it can also be used to make jam - there used to be a couple of factories in the Forest of Dean dedicated to this - and can be stewed or pickled, so useful in the kitchen as well. Most famously, it was this pear that was used to dye the uniforms of the British Army during World War I.
According to Charles Martell’s encyclopædia on the perry pears of Gloucestershire and the Three Counties, there is another pear called Painted Lady, which looks very similar to Blakeney Red - it has the same pyriform shape and a similar red blush, but is slightly smaller. We’re not sure whether the pears we gather from one tree in an orchard near Winchcombe are Blakeney Red (Painted Lady) or Painted Lady pears, but the perry is light, bright and breezy. It rolls around the mouth gently and easily and is, we think, very drinkable. We suggest you drink it in much the same way as you would a decent wine … chilled, possibly with some flavoursome Gloucestershire cheese, perhaps a Single Gloucester from Charles Martell himself or a Rollright from King Stone Dairy. It’s a perry to be sipped and savoured, rather than glugged. And notwithstanding the huge advances made by English wine-makers, perry is England's native wine. We hope you’ll try some.
Thanks for reading …