The Best Caramelized Apple Chutney

To make this apple chutney, start by peeling and chopping your apples into small pieces. Do not make them really small, as you want them to retain some of their shape during cooking. If you use regular eating apples here, they will turn to a paste! Chop your onion and garlic and add the Apples, Onion and Garlic into a large pot.

Turn on the heat and add the lemon juice and 200ml of vinegar and bring to the boil.

Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat and add your raisins, ginger, salt, sugar and remaining vinegar. Simmer on reduced heat for an hour, stirring regularly. After an hour, some of the liquid should have reduced and your mixture should be a thicker texture.

I cannot stress how important it is to stir regularly. Once I left it to simmer unattended and burnt the bottom of the pot. Complete disaster!

While the mixture is simmering away, sterilize your jars. I bought jars in batch last year from this company, but I also collected and reused jars from jam, pesto and sauces.

How to Sterilize Jars:

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3.
Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse but don’t dry them.
Place the jars onto a baking tray and into the oven for 10 minutes.
Soak the lids in boiling water for a few minutes

Once the jars are dry, remove from the oven. When your chutney is ready, carefully decant the mixture into the warm jars and add a lid to each. The chutney can then be stored in a cool place until Christmas. It takes a few weeks for the flavor to mature, but I never have the patience to wait until Christmas and usually crack a jar open a week later!

Add a circle of fabric to the top using a piece of twine or elastic band, write a label and you are good to go. These make lovely gifts for people too. I usually have a few requests from family and friends for a jar coming up to Christmas.

Happy Chutney Making!

Darran