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