fig chutney

Fig chutney is quite a delicious thing on its own smeared onto a slice of bread, but it is also a great accompaniment to many things, from cheese to cold meats and of course around Christmas time: foie gras.

You will find many recipes similar to that one, but everyone uses they own verion of spicing and at least this one is tried and tested so that the amounts of ingredient works. It is the right amount of sweetness versus sharpness. It does take a little while to make but once you have done all the chopping, there's nothing more fo you to do. It just needs to simmer for 1h30-2h so you can just put your feet up with a nice cup of tea and wait for the magic to happen!☺

Even though it is still only August, a homemade jar of fig chutney is a great little present for xmas as it can be enjoyed with all the left over turkey/gammon (whatever meat you usually have) in the days following the banquet. Make sure to sterilise the jars properly and it will safely keep fo months in a cupboard. only downside of making it now is that there might not be any left by the time the holidays come!☺This recipe makes for 5 small jars (the size of the one in the photo) or 3 big ones.

You will need:

- fresh figs 750g

- mixed dried fruits 150 g

- apple 150g (peeled and cored)

- onion 225g

- light muscovado sugar 275g

- cidre vinegar 225g

- lemon 1

- cinnamon powder 2 tsp

- cloves 3

- ginger 1 thumb size chunk

- juniper berries 6

- salt 2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Chop your onion, apple and half of the figs into small chunks. Cut the remaining figs into quarters.

2. Put the sugar, cidre vinegar in a pan. Heat until all the sugar has dissolved.

3. Add your spices: cloves, cinnamon, grated ginger, juniper berries, lemon juice and salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil.

4. Add the onion, dried mixed fruits, apple and the chopped figs. Bring to a boil again, then turn the heat down and leave to simmer gently. I prefer to add the figs into 2 portions as the most cooked one will virtually dissolve. It will give you chutney some consistency and something to bite into.

5. After 45 min, add the quartered figs and leave to simmer for a further 45 min (give a stir to your pot every 15 mins or so). At this point take a spoonfull out of your mixture and leave to cool. it should have a syrupy consistency. If you feel like it still needs to boil off some liquid, keep heating until you are happy with the thickness.

6. Pour into your sterilised jars while pipping hot (make sure your jars are filled to the top and do not touch with your fingers! Otherwise your jars will not be sterile anymore). Seal with the lid and leave the jars to cool upside down. And you're done!