Spicy apple chutney

If you are lucky enough know my Auntie Carrie, then you will also know that a visit to Park Cottage secures the hope for a full belly and a few new recipes to add to your binder too boot. If only I still lived so close. If I rang her on a Saturday to suggest a visit I could be, come Sunday lunch sat at her dining room table in front of a full roast dinner with pudding in the oven. And of course the good company is always a given too. But more than just an amazing cook, my Auntie Carrie is a great preserver. From time to time she will drop me an email about how many ice cream containers of blackberries she filled on holiday in Cornwall and how many pots of jam are now lining the shelves of her larder. If I still lived in London no doubt I would be down in Cornwall with her plucking the plump berries from the vine with  a sort of piggish urgency that only ensues when luck should have you come upon a patch of unattended wild blackberries.

This time of year it’s her spicy apple chutney that has me wishing I could pop down on the train for the afternoon. A handsome spoonful on a wedge of extra sharp cheddar and a slice of her homemade bread and I’ve all but forgotten about the less charming sardine-style tube ride and the delayed train that imprisoned me for over an hour with a bunch of rowdy teenagers.

Fortunately for me, Auntie Carrie is not one for keeping her recipes secret. I hate those secret recipe hoarders. This chutney isn’t spicy in the chili sense- it’s spicy in a tangy vinegary way that will have your nose streaming when the pot is boiling. But in a cheese sandwich it will make you go slightly crazy- so you may want to consider making a double batch.

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Spicy apple chutney

Makes 2 x 800ml  jars

Diet facts: Good for everyone except those with nut allergies.
1 lb/ 450g cooking apples (bramleys or granny smith)

1lb/ 450g onions

1lb/ 450g ripe tomatoes

3 garlic cloves

225g/8 oz dried apricots

2 oranges

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

225g/8oz dark soft brown sugar

1 pint/560ml white vinegar

salt and pepper

100g/ 1 cup walnuts

Prep work

Peel and roughly chop the apples• peel and chop the onions. • chop the tomatoes. • chop the dried apricots. • zest the oranges. • Toast the walnuts, then roughly chop.

How to make

1/ Mix together all of the ingredients in a large saucepan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and cover the pan.

2/ Simmer gently, stirring occasionally for about 1 1/2 hours until thickened and pulpy. Stir through the walnuts. Store in sterilized jars- which can be done as easily as running them through the dishwasher. You will need 2 x 800ml  jars.