SPICED APRICOT CHUTNEY

Apricot chutney has a lovely sweetness to it and summer is the time to get busy so you have this delicious condiment for winter!

Prep:
15 minutes
Cook:
1 hour
Serves:
5-6 cups

Ingredients

1.5kg ripe Apricots

450g brown onions, peeled and finely diced

450g Fairtrade sugar

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoon whole cloves

2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 mace blade - or half a teaspoon ground

4 whole Cardamom pods

Zest of 1 lemon

Muslin cloth or spice bag

Method

Halve the apricots, remove pits and roughly chop

Place the spices and lemon zest in a spice bag or small muslin cloth and tie closed with string

Put the spice bag with the chopped apricots and remaining ingredients in a preserving pan or large saucepan

Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, then simmer slowly for about 1 hour until the liquid has evaporated and the chutney has reached a jammy consistency

If it tastes vinegary you can continue to cook, the vinegar flavour will mellow over time

Remove spice bag, pour into a hot sterilized jar and seal