Ooh - we love runner beans and always so surprised when I hear people who dont. You don't get any stringy bits with the nice tender ones just the older tougher ones. We grow them every year but this year all our crops have been on the poor side ......apart from the raspberries.

Now for the better news, the first batch I made which I was worried about is actually very nice once you try it as it is meant to be eaten.....either in a roll or sandwich or with ploughmans etc. It's still too soon for it's flavour to have mellowed but hubby has tried some out of the testers pot which I always have for jams/chutney/jelly (I never seem to make exact amounts for jars, do you?) and assures me that there are no noticeable sharp or stringy bits. I have him well trained to be honest with me otherwise how will I know if it's any good or not.

2nd batch is being done today and we are going to make sure all older beans are excluded to see if it makes any difference.

Thanks for your thoughts Rob, I did read (somewhere) that the vinegar and sugar in the chutney helps to tenderise the beans if they need it, which seems to make sense.