Everyone has at least one recipe that their mum handed down to them - loved by everyone, but no-one knows it's provenance. This is one of mine. Its in the back of my Good Housekeeping bible, hand written and sellotaped in, for fear of losing it. But now its here for posterity! That's progress!
Ingredients:
2 lbs peeled cooking apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1.5 pints malt vinegar
2 lbs sugar (choose vegan friendly sugar - see Tips and note below)
1 lb sultanas or chopped dates
1 finely chopped onion
1 desert spoon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
4 oz crystalised ginger
3/4 oz red chilli pepper/cayenne pepper
If you are cooking vegan, ensure your sugar does is not refined using bone char (see Tips). Choose an organic or beet sugar that is vegan friendly, or substitute the sugar with a vegan friendly syrup like Sweet Freedom Fruit Syrup or Lyle's Dessert Syrup. 1 tablespoon of syrup should be sweet enough to equate to 2 tablespoons of sugar, but adjust to your taste.
Instructions:
Put the apples and vinegar into a big saucepan, with high sides. Bring to the boil and simmer until the apples have gone into a pulp.
Add the sugar, sultanas or dates, onion, mustard, salt, crystalised ginger and chilli/cayenne pepper. Simmer for 25 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, and then transfer into sterilised jars. (I usually find putting them through the dishwasher suffices.) Put a greaseproof round 'lid; on top of the chutney and when cooled put the lid on the jar and seal.