Apple Chutney recipe
Comments(161)
I’m not surprised that the fruit that tempted Eve was an apple. It is such a useful fruit. From sweet apple puree to flagons of frothy cider, the apple plays a major role in our lives.
It always troubles me when I see apples left unpicked on trees. We’ve had a great cooking apple harvest this year. Danny and I have spent the morning picking apples from the old trees in our tiny orchard. We are going to make cider this year and have a go at apple wine. So we left a great pile of them on the garden table to soften in the frosts. If you do this it’s easier to extract the juice. The ones that we pick from the tree are wrapped in newspaper and stored in cardboard boxes in the shed. The mice do nibble a few but the majority keep through the winter until we need them.
The windfalls don’t keep. Even if they look good they are bruised when they hit the ground. We have loads of windfalls, so we decided to branch out and add apple chutney to our range. As with our plum chutney we wanted a fruit rather than a vegetable taste.
This delicate chutney is the result.
As with all chutneys, it’s important to chop the ingredients well (we suggest that you mince the onion for this recipe) and allow for long slow cooking, this softens the fruit and blends the flavours.
Cottage Smallholder Apple Chutney recipe
Ingredients:
- 1.5 k of cooking apples
- 500g of onions
- 500g of sultanas
- 750g Demerara sugar
- 500ml of white wine vinegar
- Zest and juice of two lemons
- I small chilli
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp of cinnamon
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ½ tsp of Maldon sea salt
- 8 peppercorns
- 1 tbsp of mustard seed
Method:
- Wash, peel, core and chop the apples fine
- Peel and chop and mince the onions (if you don’t have a mincer chop them very fine)
- Put all ingredients into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
- Then simmer very gently, bubbles barely breaking the surface, until the chutney has thickened, stiring every now and then. It is ready when drawing a spoon across the surface leaves a definite track mark. This will take at least four hours.
- Pot into warm sterilised jars with plastic lined lids (how do I sterilise jars and lids? See Tips and Tricks below). Don’t use cellophane lids as the vinegar will evapourate through these and your chutney will dry up. Label when cold and store in a cool, dry place. Leave to mature for a month.
Tricks and Tips:
- How do I get rid of tainted smells in pots?
If your cooking pot or container is tainted with the smell of the last resident (curry, tomato sauce etc). Sprinkle with a good tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda into it and add a good splosh of boiling water. Rub the solution over all surfaces and leave for two minutes. Rinse well in cold water.
- How do I sterilise jars and lids?
The sterilising method that we use is simple. When the chutney is cooked, I quickly wash and rinse the jars and place them upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 160c/140c for fan assisted. When the oven has reached the right temperature I turn off the heat. The jars will stay warm for quite a while. I only use plastic lined metal lids for preserves as the all-metal lids can go rusty. I boil these for five minutes in water to sterilise them. If I use Le Parfait jars, I do the same with the rubber rings.
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Hi Your chutney recipe sounds great but I have a big bag of dessert apples could I use these instead do you think? Also would they work in the date and apple recipe? Oh and by the by are the dates dried or fresh? Sorry if this is a bit of a rambling message just excited to find a site which has such nice sounding recipes!! Regards Cary
Hello Cary,
You can use dessert apples. The chutney will just be a bit sweeter. They would also work in the date and apple recipe, just sweeter again. The dates are dried. Glad you are enjoying the site!
I’ve got loads of green toms so want to make a chutney with them. I simply don’t have enough jars so could I freeze the chutney instead?
thanks for any help
Hi Megs,
Freezing chutney would not be a good idea. Chutney needs to mature and freezing it would stop this happening.
It would be better to freeze the green toms and make the chutney when you have collected more jars.
Hi, this looks like agreatrecipe and I plan to make some chutney this weekend. Please could you tell me how many pounds I can expect from the recipe? Many thanks and happy cooking
Hi Ruth,
I’m sorry but I am not sure how many pounds of chutney this makes. It makes quite a lot at least six pounds or more. I put it into small jars so I’m not sure exactly.
Hi,
Looking to make desert apple chutney.
Can I reduce the amount of sugar to make it less sweet, or would that ruin things?
Also looking to try the quince recipe
Martin
Hi Martin,
I’m not sure about reducing the sugar. It’s not a very sweet chutney (as it uses cooking apples and lemon juice). It is a fruit, rather than a vegetable chutney.
The quince recipe is excellent. Quince’s make the best jelly.
i have 10lb’s of cooking apples that i want to use for chutney, how much does the above recepie yeild ? Ill be putting it into 1lb jars.
Hi Mike,
I am not sure how much chutney this recipe yields as I put it into very small jars. It probably makes at least 6 pounds. Sorry to be so vague. I’ll note the yield when I make it again in about a month’s time.
Hi – would cider vinegar work instead of white wine – or a mix of both?
Hi Soraya,
I think that cider vinegar would work well with this recipe, you might need to simmer it for a bit longer as it is a stronger taste.
I spent yesterday afternoon making your chutney recipe. The only problem I had was that my gas hob would not turn down far enough and the pan stated to burn after 2 hours. I finished the chutney by tipping into a pyrex bowl and simmering on the lowest microwave setting for a further hour. I am not at all sure it needs as much as 4 hours to cook. I got 8 standard sized jam jars out of it. Proof will be when I start to eat it in a month or so – but early tasting suggests it is delicious, though very sweet.
Hi Sue,
Thanks for dropping by. A hob diffuser works well with this problem.
We don’t have a microwave so I can’t comment intelligently on your method. Although I am sure that it was fine.
Did you use cooking apples? It shouldn’t be too sweet.
The secret of wonderful chutney is that it needs a long cooking time, the flavours mellow and mature. A bit like wine. If you stir every 10 minutes or so you can set a pan on half a ring if everything is starting to frazzle on a whole ring.
Thank you so much for dropping by and leaving a comment.
Hi, I made this super apple chutney today and finished up with 4 big jars (which I think are 1lb size) and 3 small jars (the 8oz ones) with a dollop left over.
It was easy to make and really looks lovely. I can’t wait to try it – I will let you know on November 1st!
Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Mildred,
I’m so pleased that the recipe worked for you and thanks for noting the yield, very handy.
Geat recipe! Last week I made pear chutney and now that the apples are ripe I googled apple chutney recipes and yours looked best. I thought about using cardamom instead of the allspice but after sprinkling a bit of each on an apple for a taste test, the allspice is better.
I did substitute apple cider vinegar because the apples aren’t very tart. And I added some cumin seeds which were in the pear chutney recipe and added aroma and taste to the savory side of the chutney. But I forgot the pepper seeds!
Also, I used palm sugar I had gotten at a Thai grocery and was wasting my cupboard space. As I recall, the palm sugar was very reasonably priced.
Hi Allen,
So pleased that our apple chutney looks best on Google! What a good idea to sprinkle spices on apple to get the taste, my recipes are the result of whim and luck. Needless to say it is a slow process. Your testing tip will come in very handy at Cottage Smallholder. Thanks.
I think that the cider vinegar would be a good twist. And also the cumin. Chutney is all about experimentation. If you have the right level of vinegar and sugar you can design the spices to suit your taste. I’m sure that forgetting the pepper seeds was not a disaster.
I haven’t tasted palm sugar. Or rather I have probably tasted it without realising!
Thanks for taking the trouble to leave a comment. Much appreciated.
Hello Allan, Have just googled for apple chutney recipe and yours looks pretty good. Have never made chutney before so it’s a bit of an experiment but have been given a huge box of cookers which I want to use up in different ways. Do you think the recipe would work using red onions instead of the usual kind?
Hi Marilyn,
Glad you chose our recipe. I reckon that the red onions would work out fine. Just a gentler flavour vis a vie the onions. I reckon that cooking apples make the best chutney.
Love to hear how it turns out!
Hi,
Great receipe, I couldnt resist the temptation and opened one jar just after 1 week and it’s delicious even now, another batch is bubbling in the pot:) Thanks!
Hi Karolina,
Really appreciate you dropping by to report back.
I reckon that this is a great apple chutney as apart from the onions it is largely fruit and spices that most people have in their store cupboard. Great chutney needn’t be a palaver.
Thanks for your comment.
I was wondering if you have any suggestions for an apple and quince chutney. I’ve never made a chutney before in my life, but having just picked a carrier bag full of eating apples and a small bowl of quinces from the garden I was hoping to combine the two. Any suggestions.
Hi Mark,
This would probably be delicious but the quinces and the apples need entirely different cooking times. I would cook the quinces until they have the softness of your raw apples and then proceed from there.
I’d love to hear how you get on!
Hi,
I wanted to try your recipe but was wondering if you processed after putting the chutney into the jars? or are you just sterilizing and putting chutney and leaving them like that?
Sabrina
Hi Sabrina,
I just put the chutney into warm sterilised jars with plastic lined metal lids (the vinegar evaporates if you use cellophane disks).
Quince jelly.
Hi the jelly was great.
Added a couple of cloves to the last boiling.
Used a slow cooker to make the juice, no problems with boiling over or sticking, then mashed with potato masher.
Squeezed every last drop out of pulp without the jelly clouding.
Made the jelly in microwave as well, again no sticking and 12mins from 1st bubbles did it.
And everything washed easily.
Martin
Hi Martin,
Quince Jelly http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=102
So pleased that the quince jelly worked for you.
Delighted to hear of quicker alternative methods to make the jelly. And they were successful! All praise to you.
Thanks for taking to time to drop by and share your methods and triumphs!
Just spent an afternoon makinig aple chutney, one with onions, one with apple, lemon and raisins. The latter one is bitter, it has an unpleasant aftertaste.
This is the second batch that has gone bitter on me. Has anyone an idea what might cause it? The first batch of this recipe was great.
Same saucepan, same ingreadients but unuseable – what is gong on?
Hi Hanna,
I am sorry but I have no idea what went wrong with your chutney without seeing the recipe.
The recipe above works well for us, every time.
Hi there – will definitely try this recipe. I have a previous batch of chutney and apple jelly in rather large jars. I would like to give some for xmas presents. Is it ok to re-jar them? Any tips.
Hi Abby,
As it is chutney, rather than jam, it doesn’t need the same sort of seal so I reckon that you could re jar your chutney.
Just remember to sterilise the jars and lids. If I was you I would put room temperature chutney into warm jars.
just trying out your apple chutney recipe, it smells delicious, however, very pale at the moment one and a half hours into cooking time, is this normal, should it be pale or dark.
Thanks
regards
Hi Joyce,
Glad to hear that you are trying our chutney.
This is quite a pale chutney. It will darken a bit as it matures.
Thanks for the reply, cooked now and it has darkened. Put one whole chopped chilli in it tastes delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
hello
could i subsitute the sultanas with dates? if so, what quantity should i use? Thanks
Hi Claire,
I’m pretty sure that would work. Use the same weight of dates and chop them.
I’d love to hear how it turns out.
Hello,
I just thought I’d drop you a line, firstly to tell you what a brilliant website you’ve set up, and secondly what great recipes you have on it!!!
I made your Apple Chutney recipe 2 weeks ago, and ate the ’stuff left in the pan’ straight away. It was already so yummy that I made a second batch last weekend! I substituted cider apple vinegar for white wine as I had some already, and that worked very well …I think that this weekend I shall try your No-Cook Apple, Date and Onion Chutney – I’m quite intrigued by it!
The quince jelly was also a hit, although I seem to have to cook it far longer than recommended to get it to turn to jelly (it does mean that it gains a beautiful pink colour though!)
Keep up the brilliant work, and I look forward to cooking lots more of your recipes!
Becky
Hi Becky,
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a positive comment! Much appreciated.
Really pleased that you like the apple chutney. It gets better and better as it matures.
Quince jelly is great. The queen of jellies, I think.
Good morning.
As I have never made chutney before and having sampled a jar of apple chutney made with cider and sultanas etc. (Came from a company in Devon. ) As I have a mature bramley and would like to use these apples.
Would you oblige me with a recipe please.
I might add this is the first chutney that I have enjoyed as I do no appreciate vinegar.
Kind regards
Hello D Siggind,
The chutney that you tasted sounds delicious.
I am sorry but this is the only apple chutney recipe that I have developed at the moment.
Good luck with your search!
What a great site! We are trying to be self sufficient too, having moved to Devon 15 months ago. Things are coming along…. and problems too!
However, just got the last of the cookers out of sstorage and am going to have a go at your chutney – sounds yummy!!!
Thanks so much – will be back again… and again… and again…
Hi Lucie
Glad that you are enjoying the site. Hope the chutney making goes well.
Had a peek at your blog. What a shame about your chickens. Ours are in a large run to protect them from the Min Pins.
Hiya,
Would the chutney be ok if I left out the sultanas? My husband and friend both don’t like them! would I need to substitute with something else?
Also would red onions work instead of normal?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!
Hi Erin
Yes you could leave out the sultanas but would need to substitute another dried fruit (same weight) such as raisons or apricots would be good too.
Red onions would be fine, they are a bit sweeter.
Hi great and easy receipe BUT do I leave the lid on the preserving pan whist it is cooking or not?
Hello Sylvia
Leave the lid off the pan.
Hi,
Found your lovely recipe for Apple Chutney and I am intending to make it as Christmas presents. How long does it keep for? I wanted to put a guideline use by date on the labels before I gave it away.
Hi Kate
This apple chutney lasts at least a year. In fact it improves with time and we have three year old jars that we relish!
Good recipe. Made a batch today with the first of our windfalls. Already tastes great but the apple has broken down almost to a pulp. Is this usual, I would like to have more lumps in the next batch?
Hello Kev
Mine has apple bits in it. I think that your simmer is probably a bit to high. It needs to be the gentlest simmer.
Hi
Have 70kgs of apples to process. Would it be okay to double up this recipe for apple chutney do you think?
Thanks
Ley
Hi!
Found this blog a few weeks ago when searching the internet for apple chutney recipes. I just moved into a beautiful little cottage and inherited an apple tree! I made this recipe last night (the wasps were determined to destroy all the apples so I had to move quickly!) and it looks/smells/tastes amazing already. I have a quick question about covering the jars – i only had metal-lidded jars so at the moment I’ve just covered the jars with clingfilm and secured with an elastic band. What should I do now?!
Thanks!
Bronia
Hi, Just one quick question, is the 1.5k of cooking apples the weight before peeling or without skins?. Thanks for your site I love it.
Hi Ley
It would be OK to double up the recipe.
Hi Bronia
Cover the tops of the jars with a double layer of clingfilm and screw the lids on over this.
Hello Mary
It’s the total weight of apples before peeling and coring.
Glad that you are enjoying the site!
I am about to try your apple chutney recipe that seems so popular. Can I use fresh ginger rather than ground ginger ?
I have just made some apple and ginger jelly.
Hi Gill
Yes you can use fresh ginger.
Apple and ginger jelly sounds great!
Hiya
Going to make my first ever batch of apple chutney. Just a question before I start. Can you make this in the slow cooker!!!
Hi Shelley
I don’t see why not. I’d be interested to hear how you get on.
Hi,
This sounds a really nice recipe, I have been given some nice Bramley apples, so i shall make it in the next couple of days. Please could you tell me if you used red or white wine vinegar, I have both in my store cupboard.
Thank you
.
Hi Sheila
I use white wine vinegar. Hope that it turns out well for you.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply, it will be on the boil this afternoon!
:)
Well it is made, potted and labelled, and looks delicious. I tried a teaspoon of the still warm mixture and it was good, so after one month I it should be excellent.
Thank you so much and may I say was a great website you have created here, and I came upon it accidently, but it is now in my favourites.
Hey, great recipe but mine was still very runny after 4 hours! Turned the heat up a bit so hope it’ll be done soon so I can go to bed before midnight. Should have started earlier.
Kathy, the liquid in mine had more or less cooked away so that is odd, I hope you got to bed before midnight
.
Sheila
What an absolutely fabulous recipe. We came across 3 apple trees a few weeks back. No1 was delicious cooking apples – needless to say only a very small yield. No 2 was eating apples – bit tasteless but cooked into a delicate pleasant stewed apple – we managed 2 carrier bags full of these. N o 3 was naf!!. Didn’t taste good raw or cooked & took forever to cook!! I put them into a wine so I didn’t have to bother to peel or core them & hope the lemon, sultanas & tea will add flavour. We passed the same tree earlier in the week & ever the optimist I noticed they were more red. Aha we’d obviously picked too early. WRONG!! 8.5kg later we got home to discover they were just as bad as a few weeks ago. I peeled 1.5kg & informed hubby (who’d picked most of them cos I couldn’t reach!) that if this apple chutney didn’t do something to improve them they were going on the compost heap. 4 hours later I had produced the most delicious chutney from these dreadful apples. So guess who’ll be back next year!! My newly-wed daughter was also planning to make chutney for Christmas presents for her huge family this year so the other 7kg will soon be peeled & in the freezer (awaiting a free afternoon & a few scrounged jam jars!) Thank you Fiona for sharing your lovely recipe.
Hi Kathy
Hope that you got to bed before midnight. I reckon that your simmer might have been a little too slow or your pan a bit tooo big. It’s difficult to get it right first time.
The first time I made chutney I made a vast amount in a huge pan and it took eight hours to cook. So it stretched over two days!
Hi Shelia
Thanks for your input.
Hello KarenO
What a wonderful story. So pleased that the nasty apples turned into great chutney! Thanks for dropping by.
I have just made my first batch and finished bottling it at 3.30am – a long old night
It smells delicious but tastes a little too vinegary at the moment – maybe I should try it with some bread and cheese rather than straight out the pan 
Can’t wait to taste it again in a months time. I only hope I can wait that long
Hi, this time last year was my first attempt at making chutney and I found the effort therapeutic and the end result very satisfying
I seem to have several friends who are only to happy to offload their spare apples onto me so I have tried several different apple-based chutney recipes and have been delighted with them all. Not being a fan of sultanas, in fact I loathe them, I substituted them in your recipe for dried cranberries, and the result, wow!! A beautiful deep red chutney that is sweet enough but not too sweet. Many thanks for the recipe, will be using your website again. Kind regards 
Thanks for this fantastic recipe! We had great fun making it. I’d just like to put a note for any North Americans making this delicious chutney (who can by volume, not weight) – I made a double batch, and had almost exactly 4.5 litres (9 x 500 ml jars). Thanks again!
not a sweet tooth, so intended to make the chutney for family coming to my wedding in october, with the glut of baking apples in the garden. But i love it! still going to give as pressies, but have you a recipe for a hotter/ spicier way of using apples? a relish that could be kept for a while in pots would be good (not so sweet)
Bad news. It probably wasn’t an apple that tempted Adam. Check Genesis: apples aren’t mentioned anywhere – all we have to go on is ‘fruit’.
Apples in ancient times were bitter and hard: it has taken generations of cultivation to make them sweet and juicy.
Still good for tempting people now though!
Have now made two batches from this recipe.
In answer to tracy truelove’s question on October 12th, on batch two I upped the chillis to four, added half a bulb of minced garlic and a little extra mustard seed. Definately a chutney with attitude but really great for those of us who like a little extra zing.
Hi
Just came across your site looking for other additions to put into Apple Chutney. I agree with the other comment left about cranberries, I made this last year and didn’t make enough. Getting ready to go into production now. I use dried cranberries with the apple and its absolutely lush!!
I too will be having a bash at this alternative apple chutney recipe – I adore chutney and can quite easily get through a jar in a couple of days! But I need more ideas for what to do with the glut of both dessert and cooking apples that we have got down here in the Pyrenees. I have got 20-30kgs of fruit to use before it ends up on the compost heap! We have already got 35 ltrs of cider brewing, have frozen some puree for the winter, dried apple rings, made various jellies……! Any other suggestions very welcome.
Hi, new to chutney but have got a lot of cooking apples to use up. Does it have to be wine vinegar or is ordinary or malt vinegar ok? Sorry if this is a stipid question!!
Hi! I have the same question – I’ve got a ton of organic apples and though I’d love to eat them, I’ve got tonsilitis and then I’m having my wisdom teeth taken out! So only purees for me! Can I use malt vinegar coz I don’t have any wine vinegar and don’t really want to go to the supermarket in my current state! I’d try it but I’ve never made any kind of preserves or anything before!
Hi morna mo and Katy
You can use any vinegar but the stronger the vinegar the stronger the taste. White wine or cider vinegar give a much softer taste. Malt vinegar might spoil the taste and would need to mature for months. I’d love to hear how you get on if you go down this route.
Danny’s tum can’t cope with malt vinegar so all our chutney is made with the lighter vinegar. They produce far more delicate chutney that doesn’t need months to mature.
Oh dear, bit worried about the vinegar now. I used pickling vinegar as I had that, will that ruin the taste? Concerned that I might have made a batch of awful inedible christmas chutney. Its on the hob as I type, if it is too strong a flavour is there anything I can do at this stage?
Hi Daisy
I can’t really advise. A lot of chutney is made with malt vinegar there is a good recipe here http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/spicedapplechutney_7720.shtml that takes 2-3 months to mature. It might we worth comparing the other ingredients with our recipe and adjusting.
Wow, thanks for the super fast reply! I haven’t used any salt in the recipe, might add a bit to see what happens. Feel reassured that a lot of recipes use malt vinegar, as Im not going to be giving it away for another 2 months yet, hopefully it would be ok.
Many thanks x
I made this wonderful apple chutney recipe a few weeks ago, with a friend’s apples (she has a wonderful, heavily laden cooking apple tree and is generous enough to give me lots) and although I didn’t wait until a month had passed to taste it, it is absolutely delicious already! I doubled the mixture, replaced some of the apples with some chopped dates and dried apricots that I had in my cupboard (which were getting close to their sell-by date!). It took around 9 hours to thicken up – perhaps because I doubled the mixture – but as I started early it wasn’t a problem. Have made a few of your recipes now, all brilliant results, so thank you!
Hi, just finished a batch of the chutney. It took 8 hours for me
I think I stuck too literally to the description “bubbles barely breaking the surface” so i turned the heat up a little after 4 hours. It was near 8 hours before I could see a “definite track mark”
It looked great when finished. It seems to have thickened up a lot more, as the stuff that was in my leftover jar seems almost like a jelly as opposed to a chutney. Did I cook it too long?
By the way it tastes gorgeous and my wife who does not like vinegar / chutneys was munching away with some good cheddar so I cant wait to let it mature a little. I also tried your Potato & cabbage dish from last year and it was YUM!
Hi there.Just to up date you on the slow cooker apple chutney. Really worked well although needed a little longer to thicken and I think I might cut down on the amount of vinegar as the slow cooker tends to keep the moisture in. Tastes divine. My husband thinks it is the best thing since slice bread. I was going to give some as presents but he says that would be a waste!!
Hi, I am a newcomer to this site and to making apple chutney. I have a large Bramley apple tree and this year it was very heavilly laden, I could not give them all away and finished up throwing about 250/300kilos away.Some one told me I could have made a chutney hence my comments.I will attempt to make it next year ,will let you know the outcome. Les
Hello, just an update on using Malt Vinegar; tried a jar today after letting it mature for 2 months or so, and it was very tasty! There doesn’t seem to be any problems with using the ‘wrong’ one. I shall be giving lots for Christmas, but also keeping some for ourselves.
Hi Daisy
Thanks very much for this update. Really useful!
hi there
this is my first ever attempt at chutney and it is bubbling away on the stove just now! i have halved the recipe and am a little worried that there doesnt seem to be enough liquid? it already leaves ‘track marks’ after under an hour of cooking, should i add more vinegar?
thanks
oh problem solved! i upped the mix to full quantities of all and now it looks a total dream and is ready for potting
)
thank you for such a lovely recipe
Hi Felicity
Good news! Thanks for leaving a comment.
I made a large batch of this and gave out as Christmas presents which were gratefully received. Excellent recipe and would suggest leave to mature for min of 2 months.
Does anyone have a good recipe for a tomato based chutney?!
Greetings from New Zealand. This recipe looks delicious. We are in the throws of summer here and my Dad has a Cox’s orange apple tree that is heavily laden with fruit. The apples are pretty tart, would they be suitable for this recipe?
Many thanks
Hi Jane
My brother lives in NZ so there is an affinity with you!
If the apples are tart they are probably perfect. You need to taste the chutney and possibly add the zest of half a large lemon and the juice.
Good luck any way.
Fiona
how do i get the vinegary taste our of my chutney?
thanks
Hello Meggie
Did you use our recipe?
If you followed our recipe there shouldn’t be a vinegary taste.
If you used another recipe let the jars mature for a few months, testing every three months or so. It should eventually disappear.
Hi
I have not tried making chutney before and was wandering whever I could use crab apples in this recipe as there are lots of crab apple trees near me
Hi Fiona
Had to leave a comment this time, because last year I used your apple chutney recipe with my parents’ crab apples, and it made one of the best chutneys I’ve ever tasted (and certainly the best I’ve ever made). Hubby and I moved to Australia from East Sussex 18 months ago to semi-retire, and my vegetable patch and recently planted succulent garden (that’s “veggies and succies” in “Australian”) has been a deeply satisfying way to spend time.
I’ve just made this year’s batch with the parents’ apples again, but also cheap surplus apples from our local orchards (we now live near Harcourt, which is “Apple Central” in Victoria). We have a wood-burning stove in our new house, which is prefect for putting the big stockpots on to simmer. I’m back at cottagesmallholder looking for quince recipes, so will let you know how I get on with the jelly, which seems to have had an even more rapturous response than this chutney.
Thank you not only for the recipes, but an excellently written blog and a meticulously maintained site (unlike mine). It takes dedication to reply to your many fans, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who appreciates it.
And just think – there are plenty of lurkers who love your recipes and blog, too!
(website address given is just for you to see the chutney-making photos in April 2008)
Hello Jaynee
Thanks so much for dropping by.
Delighted that the apple chutney recipe worked well with crab apples.
If you are lucky enough to access quinces you will fly.
Hi John
Yes you could use crab apples you’dprobably need a bit more sugar.
Hello! I’ve made apple chutney using your recipe a couple of times and its always been amazing, but I was thinking of making tomato chutney today and can’t seem to find a recipe that’s totally … convincing. Do’you think I can just adapt this one by switching the central ingredient and tinkering, or are tomatoes and apples too fundamentally different?
Hi Nadine
I have no idea if this would work. All you can try is to taste it during the simmering process. Sweet cherry toms would be fine but more acidic toms migt need a bit more sugar.
This recipe looks great, where can I find your Pear Chutney recipe. Desperate to make some as wedding favours! Many thanks.
Hi Mel
I’m sorry but we don’t have a pear chutney recipe yet.
Just wanted to say thanks for such a lovely recipe… and such a lovely smell in my kitchen! We used sweet eating apples and it’s delicious.
Hi Madeleine
Great that the recipe worked well for you. Thanks for dropping by.
Hi does anybody have a recipe for apple chutney without raisins or sultanas or dried fruit?
My chutney is simmering away nicely as we speak but I wasn’t sure what to do with the chili? Ended up chopping finely………hope this wasn’t a big No NO!
Thank you for the tip re removing smells from jars. I’ve almost given up trying to clean the curry smell from some of my jars!
Loving the recipe – have made three batches so far and it tastes great even before it has matured. Have also found this tool incredibly useful for the number of apples I have had to peel and core – you might like it too! http://www.lakeland.co.uk/apple-master/F/keyword/apple core/product/13181
Hi I am making the chutney as we speak, smells delicious. However I did forget the sultanas, does this make much difference to the taste? Also do I need to put a lid on the pan?
Thanks
Hello Mike
I’m sorry but this is my only recipe.
Hi FarmerClan
Yes that’s right.
Hi Cathy
Yes an old friend gave me this tip and it’s great for getting rid of lingering smells.
Hi Louisa
Great that you liked the recipe and thanks for the tip about the Lakeland gadget.
Hi Claire
You need to add the sultanas I think, even if it’s just for the last hour or so.
The pan should be open so that the chutney will thicken.
Can you tell me why my mango chutney did not set. Should I boil it up again or add more sugar?
If your mangoes were very ripe it they will have been quite juicy so it won’t thicken as readily as chutney made with less ripe fruit. Mango chutney tends to be runny, just tip it out of the jars and give it a long, gentle,slow boil without a lid on the pan ( use a wide pan for faster evaporation) until it is thicker- remember, chutney does thicken as it matures.
Whilst reading through everyones suggestions as to what could be substituted,changed or added to this recipe,i wondered if elderberries could be used.
Great site,love the recipes.
Lin- elderberries alone? Er, no, I wouldn’t. Firstly there is a lot of skin to pulp, which is why they are usually jellied, secondly the flavour of elderberry is very strong, thirdly they are very juicy, so you would end up cooking the chutney for ages and it would be just skins you’d be left with-Apples are pulpy and big and fibrous so they work as a chutney base, elderberries are just bags of juice. Be good for adding a flavour though.
Sorry, i meant instead of sultanas.
Well, you could try it, but the sultanas in the recipe are there for a reason:they add an extra sweetness to the mix and a depth of flavour that enhances the flavour of the apple, also they swell up as you cook the chutney mix absorbing some of the apple juice and vinegar,taking on the spice flavours, thus intensifying the flavour of the final chutney AND making it less runny!
Elderberries are very juicy and they also have a strong and very distinctive flavour of their own. In theory you can chutney anything, but I feel a good rule of thumb is that if you can’t find a recipe anywhere for a particular fruit/veg in a chutney it is with good reason,a s I’m sure cooks have tried just about everything over the years!
Elderberries make wonderful jelly, they need quite a bit of lemon juice with them to make it set and the resulting jelly is wonderful stirred into beef cassaroles or with meat, so perhaps make a piquant jelly with your berries- try adding plenty of lemon and perhaps some rind too and maybe a little good vinegar- or some orange rind…adapt a redcurrant jelly recipe like the one Jane Grigson gives in her book “good things” which has vinegar and cinnamon in it and is just gorgeous.
Thankyou,excellent ideas.In case you hadn’t guessed i’m new to chutney(and jam)making,so want to have a go at as many different ones as i can,and your site is just what i need.Thankyou again.
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Hello! My mother and I are currently making our first ever chutney using your recipe, it’s in the early stages of cooking but looking good so far! I was just wondering if you had any suggestions of what to do with the final product?
Have it with cold meat… cauliflower cheese…grate cheese into a bowl, add some mayonnaise and chutney, stir. Spread generously on toast, put under the grill until the cheese is all melty and delicious…stand with your head in the larder so no-one sees you eating chutney straight from the jar with a spoon…slice a baked potato in half and scoop out the potato, mash it up with chutney and grated cheese and some mayo, put the mix back into the potato skins and cook until it is all melty inside and crispy on top…mix with some plain yogurt to make a dip to have with papadums…fresh bread, cheese and chutney sarnies…
Hi Claire
Kate has given you a much better list of ideas than I would have done!
Hi Kate
Inspirational. My mouth was watering in the early hours of this morning.
Your recipe for aple chutney looked good, so I tried to [print it off – but gave up as the printer was going to print off 17 pages! I don’t need that – been making jams and chutneys since I was knee high – learnt at my mother’s knee. Can you not devise a way to print off just the ingredients and Method? Other websites do this.
Hi Agnes, and thank you for your valuable observation. Often we do not see things ourselves that are very obvious to visitors.
I guess some people just copy and paste the bits they want from the web site into a Word document or something but I tried it myself just now and you are right. It wants to print the photograph and all 122 comments, which is not what you want (or most people I guess).
So I changed the setting for the Print feature, behind the scenes. Now it will just print the text of the article itself including the ingredients and method. No photograph and no comments. It takes one and a half pages. We cannot print just the recipe only. Specialist recipe sites can do that but we cannot.
Thanks for visiting and do please let us know how it turns out.
Danny
Hi, I’m hoping to make this chutney as I have a bag full of windfalls…
I was just wondering: the weight of apples given in the recipe, is that befor or after they’re cored and chopped?
Also, if the onion is minced will there be noticable onion pieces in the finished chutney?
thanks!
Sab x
Hello Sabulous
The weight of the apples is before they are chopped.
Mincing is vital for the onion (there will be no obvious onion bits in the chutney) – I tried chopping them small once and they took hours and hours to soften.
Thanks! I made it and I have to say even I liked it, and I don’t normally like chutneys. Can imagine it will be even better when it’s matured… I used cider vinegar and swapped the sultanas for dried apricots as I can’t stand them. If I can get my hands on some more freebie apples I’m def making another batch!
Thank you so much for this recipe!
sab x
Almost finished making my first ever batch of chutney – smells divine!! I used a mix of sultanas, currants and chopped dates – (whatever was in the cupboard in other words!) I also used the food processor to chop the onion so it was very fine – my 6 yr old had great fun stirring it all whilst I chopped and added the apples – sure she will love to see it in the morning. Can’t wait to taste it – congratulations on a fab site – got you in my favourites now! (And will be begging more apples from the 3 sources I know have them!!)
PS – I have almost 6 jars of chutney – and a husband with his tongue hanging out – most attractive!!
my partner and I have just made your apple chutney and so far it looks and tastes wonderful. We have never made a chutney before and wanted to use the apples off our trees. we found the recipe easy to follow-vital for us novices, and the ingredients are pretty much what you’d find in the cupboard. we forgot the all spice and put the weight in apples AFTER they were peeled and chopped, but we’re happy anyway!
thank you for a great website, we’ll be coming back to it again.
I’ve picked 3 large buckets of cooking apples yesterday from my tree, currently sat outside soaking to debug the apples!
I shall be off to get the rest of the ingredients I haven’t got for this recipe today.
My question is this, do I prepare the chutney and wait for jars to arrive from begging or borrowing, or wait until I think I have enough jars then prepare the chutney? How long will the apples last in a bucket compared to being made up into the chutney? Obviously I will not be using all the apples just for this chutney, before you think I’m apple chutney mad!
i WOULD LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION REGARDING THE CUCUMBER PICKLE, WHEN THE RECIPE SAYS THE CUCUMBER WILL BE SLIMY, AFTER 4 DAYS, WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION DO YOU WASH THE SLIME OFF OR JUST WIPE IT OFF?
Hello Fiona and Danny,
I was very pleased to come across your excellent website. Thank you for sharing it. I have already learnt a lot by reading other comments and your useful comments.
I made my first chutney by the crockpot/slow cooker method using Mary Norwak’s recipe from her book – “Crockpot Cooking”. The recipe was basic apple chutney with dates, sultanas and ginger requiring 500 ml (1 pint) of “vinegar” to 2.5 kg (5lb) of apples. I used BALSAMIC vinegar, cooked it overnight and the consistency was perfect. I kept it for several months and it was delicious.
This year I made an adapted spicy red tomato and apple recipe again by the slow cooker method, but with MALT vinegar. Malt vinegar contains more water which was not absorbed by slow cooking so I left the chutney in the crockpot for several more hours, but it was still runny. I lost patience and bottled it regardless. Could I have put gelatine in the mixture to thicken it before bottling it? If the chutney is still runny when opened can I thicken it in some way then. If not perhaps it could be used as a sauce or added to a curry dish. Any other suggestions?
The other day I made a basic green tomato chutney using Mary Norwak’s crockpot recipe using MALT vinegar. Again it was still runny after I had cooked it for hours. This time I strained the chutney before bottling and will used the excess vinegar in some way – e.g. salad dressings. Will the this “strained” chutney keep as long and be okay to eat. I have loads of malt vinegar which I am reluctant to throw away. Any suggestions about what to use up Malt vinegar for are welcome
Balsamic vinegar is more concentrated and better especially for slow cooking or less vinegar?
Apologies for this rather long message.
Warmest good wishes to you both.
Hello Fiona,
This is a quick “PS” to my previous message.
Yesterday I made apple chutney using the slow cooker and the same recipe, but with HALF the quantity of MALT vinegar. I have just tasted it – the consistency is fine and not so vinegary. A bit concerned it will be too “dry” when mature?
By the way there is a Medlar tree in our garden – tried to find something to do with Medlars, but they are hard and fiddly and end result not great
Any suggestions?
Best wishes,
Hi Louise
Delighted that you found my recipe! Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Shar
I think that the chutney is very forgiving. I tried to design one with store cupboard ingredients.
Hi Scot
Sorry to miss your comment. It’s best to keep the apples and only make the chutney when you have enough jars. Some people go to ASDA and buy ultra cheap stuff in jars to get cheap jars.
Hello Splendid pickle lily
I wash them.
Hello KarenB
The apple chutney with balsamic vinegar sounds delicious.
I’ve never used malt vinegar as Danny cannot stand it so I can’t advise you on the problems or the life expectancy of your malt vinegar chutney.
Many apologies.
The only way to thicken chutney is to simmer it slowly so the vinegar evaporates. Of course thin chutney can be used in sauces and curries.
Regarding the medlar tree – I have never found one so cannot advise. I do know that they have to be belted (stored and softened) and I’ve heard that they make a tasty jelly.
Hello Fiona,
Many thanks for your prompt helpful reply to my e-mails. I will be visiting your website again.
I have also been inspired by other people’s comments e.g. Kate(?)’s idea of mixing the inners of jacket potatoes with chutney, grated cheese and mayonnaise returning it to the skin and cooking until melted sounds brilliant.
Someone else suggested you could write a book – you have the makings of one if you insert a paginated index at the top of this site on topics and sub-topics covered here – perhaps that is too boring for words and you have better things to do.
I hope others’ comments means you are also a beneficiary of suggestions and ideas.
I would like to use crab apples as others have but can anyone tell me if you have to peel and core them as they are very small. Look forward to trying the recipe.
Thanks
Hello KarenB
Yes Kate’s suggestion of baked potatoes with chutney is excellent. I have learnt so much in the three years that I’ve been writing this blog.
Thanks for your suggestion of a paginated index – it’s not boring at all. In fact most of our searches are not working properly atm for some unknown reason.
Hi Nicola w
You could cook the crabs separately and then pass them through a sieve/mouli/food mill and add the puree to the chutney. But then you would lose the texture. I can imagine anyone peeling crabs so I expect that they were used with the peels on.
Excellent chutney. I have a second batch on under popular demand from friends and family. Do you think the chutney could take the heat of a few more chillis? Would love this with a little kick!
Hi Kev
Go for it – but add a bit then taste and then add a bit more.
hello I asked a question previously regarding the crunchy cucumber recipe, now I have bought the cucumbers I realise I should have thought about the container to hold them. I have large pickling pans, but I would need to chop the cues in half before I could soak them, would this be ok.?
I too made the apple chutney, it is good if a little too sweet, my tastes have changed somewhat since becoming diabetic. Next time I will adjust the the recipe a little.
Hi,
I am an experienced chef but I love your site. Since I retired I have gone back to trying to be self sufficient. I have a good garden and a large orchard and many old recipes. I am in my element.
Hello Fiona,
Many thanks for your reply. Tomatoes coming to the end, but still some green ones left. Any ideas about what I can do with them (apart from chutney as I have already made 3 batches). There are still a few cooking apples knocking around.
Best wishes,
Karen B
Hi – just popping by to say 1st batch of chutney is excellent – going down well – made 2nd batch last night – left it on low whilst watching tv, remembered to stir every 45 mins or so to start with then forgot about it! Hubby said will I turn this off – I thought he meant the light as it was 11.45 and was thinking of bed when I realised it was the chutney!! That woke me up a bit! Oven on, jars in etc – seems to have survived its 5 hr simmer no probs – funny listening to the jars pop from bed! Planning to use some of this batch for Christmas presents – 1st batch going fast as 8yr old son has developed a taste for it!!
Have been totally inspired by this site to use my windfalls and have a go at my first ever batch of chutney… unfortunately I did not read closely enough, so I weighed my apples after coring and peeling, so my chutney is not remotely runny and its only been going for 30 mins! shall I press on, and add more vinegar at some point if I think it is getting dry? I’m sure it will end up delicious whatever though, it smells yummy!
Agh! My chutney has burnt on the bottom of the pan 1.5 hours in. Reading the comments above, I guess this is because I am using a gas hob and it is impossible to turn it down low enough. I plan to transfer to a smaller pan and smaller hob and stir frequently. Possibly add a bit of water.
Hi Emmeline
Bad luck. It might be best to cook it in a very low oven.
Ended up cooking it half on a small hob for another two hours. Left it over night and was going to heat it further, but it was just so stodgy by this point it could only stick and burn. Hopefully it is all okay. It looks very dark and sticky and smells good, so hopefully all is well.
Hi Emmeline
I do hope that it tastes good.
I gave this a whirl yesterday as I have tried lots of your recipes and they have always been marvellous.
Even though I cooked on the absolute lowest setting and the bubbles were only just plopping through, after 3 hours the chutney looked done but being sceptical I cooked for an extra 20 mins which was still less than recommended in the recipe. Potted up but today it looks very dark and very thick as if its overdone.
I suspect that it might be because I used Bramleys that had been stored so they might not be as juicy as fresh ones and as a result there was less liquid to evaporate.
Just wanted to post this as a suggestion to others that it might not take as long if you use older fruit.
Love the site and will definately try again
Hi Rachel
I don’t know what went wrong. I must admit I only tend to use fresh Bramleys.
As you say it’s all grist to the mill so thank you for leaving this comment.
Hi there, thanks for the wonderful website! I just made a batch of this using crab apples and apple cider vinegar. It came out tasting very sweet and strongly of vinegar, and I wonder if the crab apples possibly have a smaller yield of diced apples than normal apples would (if that makes sense)? Or do the flavors tone down after maturation? I’m so impatient. =) This is my first attempt at chutney and very excited to see how it evolves!
Hello Monica
Cider vinegar is much rougher than the white wine vinegar stated in the recipe. That’s why your chutney tastes a bit too sweet and too vinegary. It will take about 6 weeks to mature but might in the end be even better than the chutney made with white wine vin. I’d love to hear back from you in 6 weeks time with your review if you have a moment.
Hi fn – thanks for response! I’m SO excited now to see how this chutney evolves. I will definitely keep you updated. In the meantime, I made a sloe and crabapple jelly recently that was amaaazing (here’s the recipe if you’re interested. I’ve got some crabs leftover so am going to try your crab apple chili jelly this weekend. Good times ahead!
Hello,looks like a great recipe, am cooking it for the first time.My niece loves tapas,and her favourite is black pudding and apple chutney.She wishes me to recreate a spicy chutney to accompany the black pudding.So hopefully this will be a triumph.I have a 2 oven aga and am leaving it to bubble in the simmering oven at the moment. Is 3 weeks enough time to let it mature?
Hi there
I was just reading through your ever evolving list of comments for the apple chutney (which is currently simmering very gently away in my crockpot – fingers crossed this experiment on my behalf works out – i’m very new to the crockpot methodology!). I read that you suggest not using the cellophane discs – is this a complete no-no with chutney? Kind regards
F aye :0)
Hi Faye
The viegar will leech out of the cellophane tops! Fine if you are going to eat the chutney quickly but not OK if you want it to mature.
Hi,
Have loads of apples and like the look of this chutney…sick of the same old ones. About sealing jars…a method I learned from my mother and I still use these many years later…Put wax disc on first then using paraffin wax (plain – not the cosmetic kind) gently pour approx 1/2 cm over the top of disc. The, either cover with proper screw tops etc, or cellophane ones will do the trick. My grandmother, before her, used circles cut from cotton which she dipped in wax and affixed on the top of the jar by tieng a string firmly around. Both these methods work. However, it is a lot easier if you have proper screw tops! Thanks for this recipe.
hi – love your site!
Have just made my first ever chutney but unfortunately it burnt and the chutney has a smokey taste to it- it actually need some further simmering so ive repotted it but do you know of any thing I could add to diguise the smokiness which isnt over whelming but definately there
thanks
Hi,
Really cool site.
I am going to try the apple recipe but was also wondering if you could do the same with pears? – I guess just use the same quantities just swap the apples for pears?
Thanks,
Gary
Hi Gary
I havent tried making pear chutney yet so can’t really advise you. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you do make some!