Chutney is one of my absolute favourite gifts to give at Christmas time. It’s fun and easy to make, it’s a easy and sustainable way to fight food waste and it lasts a long time. I often find that if I give chutney on Christmas day, I’ll find people cracking it open on those in between days before new year to go with crackers and all their leftover Christmas food. There’s also something really nice about giving homemade food, it has that personal charm and feels like it was made with love, and it’s a great way to utilise old jars in true zero waste style.

Here’s the recipe for my favourite chutney to make at this time of year, it takes a little while, but you basically stick it in a pot and leave it:

Ingredients

– 1kg bramley apples, chopped into small chunks
– 500g red eating apple, chopped into small chunks
– 450g onion, finely diced
– 500g sugar
– 250ml apple cider vinegar
– 50g fresh ginger
– 1 tsp pepper
– a pinch of cinnamon
– 500g dried cranberries

Instructions

– Add all ingredients except cranberries to a heavy based saucepan. Heat over a low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

– Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for around an hour. Stir regularly until the mixture has thickened up, excess water/juice is gone, and the apple and onion is tender.

– Add the cranberries and leave for another hour. The mixture will be a reddish brown and will be quite thick, not watery. This is when it’s ready.

– Spoon the chutney into sterilised jars when still hot and seal. Check the link here for how to sterilise jars properly. It’s very easy but make sure to do it, as it will make your chutney last much longer.

– Store somewhere dark and cool, it should keep for up to 6 months. Once opened keep in the fridge.

And that’s it! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, it’s a firm favourite in my book.

Until next time, stay magic y’all.