Harts Kitchen
BRAMLEY APPLE
CHUTNEY
Fit for any Christmas cheese board, this hand-made
preserve would make a great gift for fellow food lovers
P
reserving is an age-old tradition that goes
back for centuries and I think it is
something that we do particularly well in
the UK. Curds, marmalades, jams, jellies
and chutneys are all useful for extending
the season of particular fruits and
vegetables or for using up a glut of produce. They
have so many uses too – I love mousses made with
fruit curd, jellies in sauces, and marmalade is
definitely not just for spreading on toast. Try a
marmalade bread and butter pudding or a steamed
sponge pudding with maple syrup and marmalade
just for starters.
Making preserves is relatively simple and needs
just a few pieces of equipment – a good sharp
knife, a large heavy-based saucepan (or if you are
going to be using it regularly, it’ll be worth
investing in a proper preserving pan), a good
cooking thermometer and you are set to go. My
preference is for the terrine type jars with their
spring lids. And a jam funnel is a good addition
even if you only use it occasionally.
This recipe for Bramley apple chutney is one
I have been making for many years and in my
eyes is absolutely perfect on a cheese board. Not
too spicy, not too chunky, and with a rich sweet
and sour flavour, it marries so well with cheese.
Hard cheeses in particular complement this fruity
chutney, maybe a mature Montgomery Cheddar or
some Kirkhams Lancashire.
Bramley apples come into season around August/
September and I find that they are at their best for
making chutney when they are fresh, as opposed
to having been stored. They seem to be at their
crispest and most flavoursome.
INGREDIENTS
METHOD
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp yellow mustard seeds
1kg Bramley apples, peeled,
cut into 8, cored and sliced
120g sultanas or raisins
140g cider vinegar
55g caster sugar
55g dark soft brown sugar
Maldon salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Sweat the onion in the olive oil until soft.
Add the spices and cook, stirring for
one minute. Add remaining ingredients
and stir together well. Season with
salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then
simmer, stirring occasionally until thick
and fairly dry. Chill a small sample to
taste. Adjust seasoning and sweet/sour
balance by adding sugar or vinegar as
required. Both the acidity in the apples
and the type of vinegar will make a
difference. The flavour is dramatically
different when the chutney is cold, so
it is worth taking the time to chill the
sample for tasting. Decant the chutney
into sterile jars while it is still hot. The
chutney does eat well as soon as it’s cold
but better to keep it for a month or so.
T H E K I T L I S T Preserving standards for your kitchen cupboard
Pyrex Classic 0.5L
Measuring Jug
Harts Price £4.30
Kitchen Craft
Apple Corer
and Wedger
Harts Price £3.74
Eddingtons
Digital Timer
with Meat
Thermometer
Harts Price: £9.95
16
www.hartsofstur.com
Kilner Clip Top Jar
Round 0.5 Litre
Harts Price: £12 (set of 3)