Pyracantha
Key identifying features:
✅ Clusters of small round berries with a dark star-shaped calyx at the bottom
✅ Glossy, evergreen leaves
✅ Thorny shrub Pyracantha almost always has sharp thorns
✅ Berries ripen from late summer to autumn and stay on the shrub well into winter
Edibility / Use
Not eaten raw – they are very astringent and can cause stomach upset.
Safe when cooked and can be made into jelly or chutney (similar to crabapple or hawthorn jelly).
Pyracantha Jelly (Sweet & Clear)
Flavour: similar to crabapple jelly, lightly citrusy, bright orange
Makes: ~3–4 small jars
Ingredients:
1 kg pyracantha berries
1 large cooking apple, roughly chopped (with pips & skin)
1 lemon (juice only)
Water (just enough to cover berries in the pan)
Sugar (about 450–500g per 600ml strained juice)
Method:
Wash berries and remove stalks.
Put berries and chopped apple in a pan, add water to just cover.
Simmer for 35–45 minutes until soft and pulpy.
Tip into a jelly bag or muslin and let drip overnight (don’t squeeze, or it clouds).
Measure the juice. Add 450–500g sugar per 600ml juice.
Add lemon juice, heat gently to dissolve sugar, then boil to setting point (around 104–105°C).
Jar into sterilised jars.
Serving: Toast, scones, roast pork, with chèvre or cheddar.
Spiced Pyracantha & Apple Chutney
Flavour: warming autumn spice — lovely with cheese, nut roast, or cold meats
Makes: ~3 medium jars
Ingredients:
500g pyracantha berries
500g cooking apples (peeled & chopped)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
150g sultanas or raisins
250ml cider vinegar
200g demerara sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves
½ tsp salt
Method:
Wash berries, remove stalks.
Add all ingredients to a heavy saucepan.
Bring to the boil, then simmer uncovered for 50–70 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and chutney-like.
Jar into sterilised jars; leave at least 2 weeks to mature.
Pyracantha Liqueur (Vodka or Gin)
Flavour: orangey, mellow, slightly almondy — a festive winter drink
Ingredients:
250g pyracantha berries
500ml vodka or gin
100–150g sugar (to taste)
Optional: a strip of orange peel, half a cinnamon stick
Method:
Prick berries with a pin or lightly freeze them overnight to break skins.
Add berries, spirit and sugar to a clean jar.
Add optional flavourings.
Shake, then store in a dark cupboard for 6–8 weeks, shaking every few days at first.
Strain through muslin; bottle. Improves over 3+ months.
Serve: neat, in prosecco, or with tonic.
Pyracantha & Crabapple Jelly with Rosemary
A more complex, sharper jelly for cheese boards.
Ingredients:
700g pyracantha berries
300g crabapples (chopped, whole is fine)
1 small sprig fresh rosemary
Water to cover
Sugar (450–500g per 600ml juice)
1 lemon (juice)
Method:
Wash berries; add to pan with crabapples and rosemary.
Cover with water and simmer 40 minutes.
Strain overnight through a jelly bag (don’t squeeze).
Measure juice, add sugar and lemon juice.
Bring to a rolling boil until setting point reached.
Pot into jars; add a tiny fresh rosemary leaf into each if desired.
Serve: With baked brie, manchego, goat’s cheese, or roast lamb.