To ask (in a panicked way) for a good reliable chutney recipe?

[Drummingisfun]

Ok so I admit I'm posting for traffic

I am supposed to have made chutney for Christmas for a few relatives but due to the entire family being ill one after another for weeks I haven't done it and I'm now panicking.

Can anyone point me towards a good chutney recipe that they have tried and they know works well? Ideally not too complicated either as I will have to make it with the 'assistance' of a toddler.
Obviously I have googled but there are just so many recipes out there and I don't have time to pick a wrong one and redo it, I need a good reliable tasty one first time.

Thanks so much to anyone who can help?

Buy a nice one and decant it into pots
Let your toddler make the label

Hugh fearnley whittingstall has one that is a) delicious and b) very resilient in terms of swapping in one vegetable for another.

⬆️This!!!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1553649/richly-spiced-plum-chutney

This is nice but I added a cooking apple, some long peppers and a bit more chilli than it said as well as leaving it to simmer for longer. I didn't have enough red wine vinegar so I used some leftover sweetened malt vinegar too. I made 7.5 1lb jars and there's only half a jar left.

Tesco recipes for caramelized onion chutney is nice. Although most chutneys need to 'mature' before they are eaten.

This one is brilliant and doesn't require cooking although does need 3 days of stirring before potting.
Can't recomend it enough.
www.blueskyandbunting.com/2011/10/sarah-ravens-uncooked-autumn-chutney.html

River cottage glutney - you can mix and match the ingredients to whatever is available

Uncooked chutney? No thank you! Sorry pp but it sounds hideous.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/user/699860/recipe/beetroot-and-ginger-chutney

I use this one, but leave out the raisins and add in stem ginger instead. Delicious.

Don't panic Drummers - chutney is very forgiving!! I make chutney and find that as long as you simmer the mixture long enough ie to reduce & thicken it sufficiently, and make sure the jars are sterilised, you won't go far wrong. I put the jars in the oven for 20 minutes and add the mixture straight away, when everything is very hot. Lots of hot stuff about so maybe do the hot part when your toddler is in bed!

As to recipe, the most successful I have made recently is apple and onion. I don't use a recipe but here's one from Mary Berry. I wouldn't necessarily use Gala apples and I wouldn't add raisins (more apples instead) - cookers would do, but taste and add more sugar if needed,

1½ kg Gala apples
750 g light muscovado sugar
350 g raisins
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
500 ml cider vinegar

Chop apples and onions (you can vary the amounts). Put in pan with everything else, mix and let simmer until thick (30 - 40 min but maybe more). Put into hot jars, seal and let cool.

Lots of possible variations. Google is your friend.

I use this tomato, red onion and chilli chutney recipe - it’s very easy to make:

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1756641/tomato-and-chilli-chutney

I sterilise Kilner jars and jam jars in the oven and boil the seals and lids, and add the chutney to the hot jars to get a good airtight seal.

You've left it way too late, chutney should have been made months ago using the last of the season's crop that didn't mature or wind blowns to preserve them.

Uncooked chutney? No thank you! Sorry pp but it sounds hideous.

I know, but honestly it's delicious. Never lasts long in our house although I did find a stray unopened jar at the back of the cupboard so know it keeps. Give it a go before dissmissing it out of hand.
I love it under cheese on toast or pop some on pork chops under a layer of cheese before cooking.

I have a sort of home made recipe because lots are the same.

Basically pick your fruit or veg, if you are using veg with a high water content like cucumber of cauliflower salt and brine them overnight.

For things like mango, tomatoes soft fruits don't bother.

Make a mixture of 50/50 sugar and malt vinegar - spiced vinegar if you have it. Put your fruit and veg into a pan with the sugar and vinegar, the pan should be 50% chutney ingredients and 50% sugar/vinegar. Add any spices, raisins, extras.

Bring to the boil and then simmer until you can draw a wooden spoon across the mixture and the 'valley' stays as a valley.

It works with any amount of fruit so for a jam jar of mango chutney I would use about 1 1/2 large mangoes. The smallest I've done were small jars from the pound shop, one was tomato and the other was mango and dried apricot, I used 1 yellow pepper and three dried apricots. It took about 30 mins start to finish.

I know I've left it too late!
I will tell the recipients to leave it to
Mature for a few weeks before eating.

I have made chutney before with a courgette recipe but it was years ago.
Sadly this year I had no glut of apples because I think the snow killed the blossom and we hardly had any from two trees.
Thanks so much for the suggestions of recipes I will check out HFW and the BBC one, they sound good. Apple and onion sounds pretty good too actually.

Lemon curd is much much easier and quicker and doesn't involve much faffing (although won't keep as long). Could you switch to that?

Banana chutney- cottage smallholder website. Easy, tasty and doesn’t need to mature

You can eat the tomato and chilli chutney straight away though - it keeps for up to 6 weeks (although it never lasts that long here). It only takes a couple of hours to make.