This classic green tomato chutney recipes by preserving expert Elspeth Biltoft of Rosebud Preserves is ideal for using up unripe toms – and tastes delicious served with cheese, bread and cold meats.
“When I was a girl growing up in North Yorkshire, my father had an allotment and we’d make use of what he’d
grown,” says Elspeth. “In the autumn, that meant finding a use for the tomatoes that hadn’t ripened. This recipe is adapted from one my mother used, and it brings back fond memories. It’s a classic combination – green tomatoes, apples, onions, vine fruit and spices. It makes for a very English chutney and it’s one of my favourites.”
If you’re looking for a festive chutney, try our cranberry, orange and ginger Christmas chutney recipe.
Ingredients
- 500g green tomatoes
- 450g onions, chopped into 1cm pieces
- 25g pickling spices (we used Bart spices)
- 170g light muscovado sugar
- About 500ml malt vinegar
- 450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped to 1cm pieces
- 170g raisins
- 55g sultanas
- 3 fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1½ tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tbsp fine salt
You’ll also need…
- Large heavy-based saucepan or casserole, square of muslin, kitchen string, glass jars with lids (enough for 1.2kg chutney)
Method
- To sterilise your jars, heat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan/gas ½. Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse clean and put the jars to dry in the warmed oven. Turn off the oven and leave the jars in until ready to decant your chutney. Put the lids (and any rubber seals) in a pan of boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Wash the tomatoes, chop into 1cm pieces, then put in a colander set over a bowl to drain for at least 10 minutes to remove any excess water.
- Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil, add the chopped onion and simmer for 10 minutes until softened and translucent.Drain well.
- Meanwhile, lay the muslin square on your work surface. Put the pickling spices into the centre of the muslin, wrap up and tie securely with string to form a bag.
- Put a large heavy-based pan or casserole over a low heat. Add the drained onions, muscovado sugar and 250ml vinegar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved – this will take about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the chopped apples, drained tomatoes, raisins, sultanas, spices, garlic, spice bag and salt to the pan/casserole, then stir well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more vinegar as the mixture reduces and thickens. (You’ll need most/all of the remaining vinegar.)
- After about 1 hour, all of the vinegar should be absorbed by the ingredients and the chutney should have become a thick, soft, semi-syrupy consistency,
thick enough to leave a clear trail across the bottom on the pan when a wooden spoon in drawn across it. The chutney will continue to thicken as it cools. - Remove the spice bag and squeeze it against the inside
of the pan, then mix well. - Spoon the chutney into your hot, sterilised jars, seal immediately with the lids, then store in a cool, dark place for one month to mature (see Make Ahead). Serve with crusty bread, thick-sliced ham and farmhouse cheddar.
Nutrition
- 24kcals Calories
- 0.1g (0g saturated) Fat
- 0.3g Protein
- 5.1g (4.9g sugars) Carbs
- 0.4g Fibre
- 0.1g Salt
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Reviews
Just used up some home grown tomatoes that didn’t ripen to make this. Tastes delicious as it went into the jars. Can’t wait to try it properly in a month.
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