Spicy Tomato Chutney #DDDHMC

Tomato chutney is a big favourite in our household. Whether it's burgers, baked potatoes or sandwiches, it's the perfect accompaniment to almost any meal! Plus it is one of the best things to have with those Christmas cheeses when you've already over indulged but still have room for a little bit more, ergo a Homemade Christmas Hamper must-have.

At the beginning of the year I bought John a £1 plant pot which came with some soil & tomato seeds inside. On a whim I thought he'd enjoy planting them & watching them grow on the windowsill. Silly me forgetting that tomato plants grow huge and that there was no way that it would be able to stay there. But thank goodness for Papa's with greenhouses! From the early summer onwards, the boys Papa Scott has been nurturing & growing the tomato plants that eventually produced us a bucket load of red, orange, yellow & green little beauties, of all shapes & sizes. I'm quite sure John could have easily eaten them all like a normal person would eat an apple but instead I've used them in this super easy recipe to make them go even further.

What You Need.   
900g Tomatoes (home grown & in various forms is best!).
400g Onions.
225g Light Muscavado Sugar.
1 Tsp Sea Salt.
2 Tsp Mustard Seeds.
1 Tsp of Dried Chilli Flakes.
Seeds of one Cardamom Pod.
200ml White Wine Vinegar.
100ml Red Wine Vinegar.
50ml Balsamic Vinegar.
3 Jam Jars with lids (450g is ideal).

Method.   

1. Chop your tomatoes into generous chunks, leaving any little ones whole. Thinly slice your onions & sterilise your jars.
2. Place all your ingredients into a large pan and bring to the boil, then reducing to a simmer.
3. Allow the chutney to simmer for as long as needed. The original recipe states 30 minutes but I've never had a chutney that is ready in less than 2 hours. Trust me, it's worth the wait!
4. Once the chutney has thickened, allow to cool for 10 minutes before spooning into your sterilised jars.
5. Once sealed in it's jars, leave the chutney to mature for a least a month [ideally] to get the very best flavours from it.

• • •

Like the Caramelised Onion Chutney recipe I shared a few weeks ago, this recipe will get a better flavour the longer you give it to mature, so hop to it & get making! My favourite part of this recipe is the spicy kick from the chilli & mustard seeds, although if this isn't your [or your recipient's] taste you can easily reduce the amount in the recipe or omit it completely. And as always, if you do decide to give this recipe a try, be sure to share on your chosen Social Media with the hashtag #DDDHMC.

A photo posted by Amy Lorimer (@amylorimer) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:20am PDT

Happy making!

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