Tomato chutney

Portion size: Makes 4-5 jars
Prep time 20 minutes. Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy

Vegan

Vegetarian

Lizzie Kamenetzky

Save

Preserve the best of seasonal tomatoes by making them in to a spiced tomato chutney to add to sandwiches and burgers or enjoy with cheese.

“Whether it’s green or red, a good tomato chutney is magical with fresh bread and a hunk of cheese,” says food writer Lizzie Kamenetzky. “If you grow your own tomatoes, the tail-end of summer sees plants laden with so much fruit it’s hard to keep up with eating it all. This sweet sour chutney is a satisfying solution to the glut, allowing you to enjoy the flavour of the British tom right through winter.”

Why not try making your own tomato ketchup next?

Before you start

Six steps to chutney perfection

Cut the vegetable ingredients into equally sized chunks to allow them to cook at the same rate.
Use only stainless-steel or enamel pans for making your chutney, as the vinegar reacts with other metals such as copper and aluminium.
Similarly, make sure the insides of your jar lids are plastic-coated. Bare metal might react with the vinegar and spoil the chutney.
Sterilising the jars is a vital part of making chutney – all your hard work will be wasted if the chutney is exposed to contaminants. Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse well, then place upside down in the oven at 110°C/fan90°C/gas ¼ until dry. (Alternatively, put them through a hot cycle in the dishwasher.) Use straightaway.
Fill the still-warm jars up to the neck with warm chutney, cover immediately with a waxed disc (waxy side down) and cover with a lid or a cellophane disc with an elastic band.
Keep the chutney for a couple of months before using, so the flavours have a chance to mingle and mellow

Join Extradelicious to unlock Cook Mode

Ingredients

1.5kg red, green or semi-ripe tomatoes (or a mixture)
400g shallots
3 tart eating apples, such as Granny Smith
2 red chillies
3 garlic cloves
Large knob of fresh ginger
550ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp white mustard seeds
400g sultanas
175g light muscovado sugar
60g black treacle

Join Extradelicious to unlock Cook Mode

Method

Roughly chop the tomatoes, then place them in a large preserving pan.
Peel and chop the shallots, then peel, core and chop the apples. Add them to the pan with the tomatoes.
Deseed and finely dice the chillies, and finely chop the garlic. Grate the ginger and add to the pan with the chillies and garlic. Pour over three-quarters of the vinegar.
Recipe continues after advertising adslot-recipe-4
Stir in the white mustard seeds, sultanas, sugar and treacle.
Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Season, then simmer for 1 hour until very thick. Add the remaining vinegar, then remove from the heat. Spoon into sterilised jars (see tips, above) and seal. Once cooled, the chutney will keep in a dark, cool place for up to a year.
Serve with crusty bread and cheese or cold meat for a perfect lunch, accompanied by a glass of chilled cider.

FAQs

Often thought of as a thoroughly British treat, chutney is a good example of the Anglo-Indian fusion food that evolved in colonial India. The name derives from the Hindi chatni. Indian chutneys are usually served fresh to accompany a variety of dishes, but jam-loving colonial British cooks made them into more of a preserve, while retaining the all-important spices. The result is a sweet-sharp concoction that’s delicious with cold meat and cheese.