Eight best chutney recipes

Originating in India, chutney was brought back to Britain during colonial times and quickly became a popular way to preserve gluts of fresh produce. Not only does the delicious flavour liven up any dish, chutney is a great way to avoid waste and enjoy healthy, seasonal ingredients throughout the entire year. 

There’s still time to get growing – order a few garden ready vegetable plants to pop into gaps in your veg patch, herbaceous border or patio containers. And when you’re ready, here are 8 chutney recipes, courtesy of some of our favourite bloggers, to help you preserve your healthy homegrown produce at its best:

1. Spiced apple chutney
2. Rhubarb chutney
3. Runner bean chutney
4. Tomato chutney
5. Summer chutney
6. Turnip chutney
7. Beetroot chutney
8. Spicy Christmas chutney

1. Spiced apple chutney – Tin & Thyme

Over at Tin and Thyme, Choclette loves making chutneys. “It’s just a case of cooking everything down until the mixture is thick,” she says. Her favourite? Spiced apple chutney, which she makes every year without fail. “Sometimes I’ll make two or even three batches as it makes splendid gifts for chutney-loving friends and family.”

If you have a surplus of apples, this is the recipe for you. Visit Tin and Thyme for Choclette’s full recipe and method.

Ingredients:

• 700g apples
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 250ml apple cider vinegar or kombucha vinegar
• 125g sugar
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tbsp root ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp sea salt

 

2: Rhubarb chutney – The Veg Grower Podcast

Over at The Veg Grower Podcast, Richard is rarely happier than when he’s filling his house with the smell of vinegar. His favourite method? “I find a long slow cook is best, and so I try to use a slow cooker to make chutneys,” he says.

If you’re looking for something a bit special, this sensational rhubarb chutney is worth a try. For the full method, head over to The Veg Grower Podcast blog. Visit our rhubarb hub page for more growing tips & advice, and you could be making your very own chutney from March onwards!

Ingredients:

• 900g rhubarb
• 900g sugar
• 450g sultanas
• 250ml vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 onion
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon pepper

3. Runner bean chutney – August’s Garden

It’s easy to find yourself with a glut of runner beans, and this is an excellent way to use them up. In fact, you might consider planting extra once you’ve tried August’s delicious chutney!

Each mouthful of this runner bean chutney takes August straight back to her nanny’s kitchen where she watched her “slice fresh bread and layer on the butter before adding homegrown tomatoes, cheddar cheese and a slither of chutney.” Here’s the full recipe, courtesy of August’s Garden.

Ingredients:

• 2lb runner beans (after stringing)
• 1½ lb onions
• 1½ tbsp cornflour
• 1½ tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1½ pints vinegar
• 2lb demerara sugar
• Pinch salt

Method:

• Cook beans in salted water until tender. Strain and chop.
• Boil onions in ½ pint vinegar until tender. Chop.
• Add the rest of the vinegar and beans to the onions and boil for 15 minutes.
• Add the sugar.
• Mix the cornflower, turmeric and mustard with a little vinegar and add to the mixture.
• Boil for a further 10 minutes and allow to cool.
• Pot and seal. Makes approx 6lb.

4. Tomato chutney – The Marmalade Teapot

Tomatoes are delicious, easy to grow, and packed with antioxidants. Gluts of tomatoes can be preserved in lots of ways, but Katie’s chutney is one of the finest. Over at The Marmalade Teapot, this gorgeous tomato chutney is one of her most popular recipes. “It’s great with cheese, in sandwiches, salads or even tossed through some pasta,” she says. For the full method, visit The Marmalade Teapot.

Ingredients:

• 1kg tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 250g soft light brown sugar
• 300ml cider vinegar
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp paprika
• 2 tsp mustard seeds

5. Summer chutney – @our_tiny_garden

Over at @our_tiny_garden, Dave and Joy love to grow tomatoes, courgettes and apples – so it comes as no surprise that their favourite chutney includes all three! If you’ve never made it before, this summer chutney is an easy way to help you preserve a last minute surfeit of fresh produce at the end of the growing season. Here’s the full recipe, courtesy of @our_tiny_garden.

Ingredients:

• 500g courgettes
• 500g red tomatoes
• 250g onions
• 250g apples
• 250g light brown sugar
• 300ml cider or white wine vinegar
• 1-2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 tsp ground coriander

Method:

• Peel the onions and apples.
• Chop everything that can be chopped.
• Mix it all in a pan and simmer for 5-6 hours, until it looks like chutney.
• Uncover to let it thicken.
• Spoon into sterilised jars while still hot.
• Leave for a few months to let the flavours mature.

6. Turnip chutney – Allotment Garden

If you find yourself with an unexpected glut of something unusual, join John Harrison over at Allotment Garden where his wife Val has a fantastic collection of preserves. When it comes to successful chutney, they remind us that the produce used can be less than perfect (misshapen or damaged fruit and veg is fine), but the quality of the vinegar is vital. John says the vinegar “must have an acetic acid content of at least 5%.”

We loved this old-school recipe for turnip chutney to spice up a plate of cold meats. Visit Allotment Garden for the full method.

Ingredients:

• 2 lb turnips
• 1 lb apples
• 1 lb onions
• 8 oz sultanas or dates
• 8 oz sugar
• ½ oz turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 oz salt
• Pinch cayenne or black pepper
• 1 pint vinegar

7. Beetroot chutney – Tin and Thyme

The perfect partner for cheese, this vibrant beetroot chutney is one of Choclette’s best. “I used my own homemade blackcurrant vinegar along with apple cider vinegar to give a fruity flavour,” says Choclette, “but any fruit vinegar should work.”

If you love growing beetroot and want to preserve your crop for the months ahead, head over to Tin and Thyme for the full recipe and method.

Ingredients:

• 600g beetroot
• red onion
• 100g sugar
• 150ml apple cider vinegar
• 100ml fruit vinegar
• 1 red chilli
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• black pepper

8. Spicy Christmas chutney – Life on Pig Row

At Life on Pig Row, Andrew Oldham believes that chutney is one of the safest ways to preserve fruit because “vinegar has a way of keeping things just right.” For his spicy Christmas chutney, he mixes cooking and eating apples: “The eaters give the final chutney an aromatic scent that fills the house.”

Don’t be misled by the name – this chutney is not just for Christmas! Visit Life on Pig Row for the full recipe.

Ingredients:

• 450g onions
• 1.8kg apples
• 220g sultanas, raisins or chopped dates
• 30g ground coriander
• 30g paprika
• 30g mixed spice
• 30g salt
• 680g sugar
• 850ml malt vinegar

We hope you’ll be inspired to try some of these delicious recipes when it’s time to preserve your own homegrown produce. Please share a photo and let us know how you get on! And if you discover another chutney that deserves a mention, drop us a line via blog@thompson-morgan.com.