Hot Summer Chutney

We always make chutney in the summer, but this is a fairly hot one. It will keep for a year. We have a small cupboard that is just for jars of pickles and chutneys – it is the treasure trove of our kitchen.

4 red chillies, chopped

2 large cooking apples. Peeled, cored and chopped

450g tomatoes. Chopped

2 red onions, chopped

200g sugar

250ml cider vinegar

100g raisins, chopped

1tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp allspice

1tsp chopped ginger

Salt & pepper

It’s a rainy Saturday. The boy is out and it’s the perfect day for a hot chutney that we will enjoy in October or November. I’ve been out to buy the apples and the Guardian. This is meant to be hot so I’m happy to be heavy handed with the chillies and cayenne.

Dub Colossus produced a brilliant album named A Town Called Addis. It’s the perfect antidote to a rainy morning.  It’s on, quite loud.

This is so easy. Everything goes in a large pan and bubbles away at a low heat for 45 minutes. Stir fairly often, while leafing through the Guardian. If it isn’t thick enough keep it going. If you can draw a dry line across the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, it’s ready. To be honest, mine always seems to take well over an hour.

This one is quite hot so make sure you label it accordingly. It will mellow a little over the next few months though. It will be perfect over goats cheese crostini, with bitter leaves, on a cool fall evening. The boy seems to think the jars appear in the cupboard by themselves. They are a great investment and we always miss them if we don't make them. The boy is the world's biggest sandwich fan - a farmhouse loaf, Double Gloucester, with last year's chutney, and he couldn't be happier.