Should be good, I reckon

I've had peach chutney (p231) on my 'to-do' list for a couple of weeks now, but somehow I kept not getting around to it. I couldn't wait too long or the peaches would get overripe, so this morning I finally motivated myself to get it done.


It's not like chutney-making is a big job: you just chop up stuff, throw it in a pot with a few other ingredients, and boil it for a while. In this case, the contents of the pot were peaches (peeled, stoned and chopped) onions (chopped), sultanas, crystallised ginger, brown sugar, curry powder, salt, and the ever-present malt vinegar.

I had to reduce the quantities in the recipe to match the amount of peaches I had. I ended up doing a one-third mix, which has the added bonus of not cluttering up my cupboard with too many additional jars. The top shelf of my pantry is already well-populated with Edmonds jams and chutneys - I just make them much faster than I can use them.


While the chutney mixture bubbled away, I dug out jars and got them sterilised ready for filling. It took about 45 minutes for my one-third mix to reach the desired jam-like consistency. I took the pot from the heat and ladled the chutney into the prepared jars.

I think I'm going to like this one. It's rich and fruity, with a fairly spicy kick. Many chutneys are overpoweringly vinegary when they're first cooked, and take a few weeks in the cupboard to mellow out a bit. This one has a pungency of its own, but it's not all due to the vinegar. If it tastes this good now, I reckon it's going to be really tasty in a month or two.