My first effort at making chutney

I had a go at making chutney for the first time. I bet you can guess what sort it was considering the things I have been preserving recently.

Yup – Correct

Orange and Rhubarb Chutney.

It takes a few months to mature, so I will not know what it tastes like until September at the earliest, but this is the recipe I followed (almost) which came from another forum called creative living, and was one that ‘sandybeth’ had made – but I do not know where it came from originally. Oh and one thing it did not tell you, which is very important - you must not make chutneys or anything containing vinegar in an aluminium pan - which my preserving pan is!

So I used my Le Crueset pan and it just about fitted in.


Rhubarb and Orange Chutney

2lb Rhubarb, chopped
Grated rind and juice 2 oranges
1lb onions chopped
1 ½ pints malt vinegar
2lb Demerara sugar
1lb raisins
1tsp allspice berries
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp peppercorns

I didn’t have allspice berries and couldn’t get any in the village so……….. I looked up on the web to find out exactly what they were, and found the tree that they came from, and other names for it, one of which was Myrtle. I looked in my store cupboard and found some Myrtle amongst some Oz Tukka spices that my youngest son brought me back from his ‘walkabout’ in Australia. So I took pot luck and used that. The mustard seeds were from a selection that my oldest son and daughter in law bought me on their travels too, and the peppercorns I actually had bought myself!

So here is what you do!

Tie spices in muslin and add to pan with all the ingredients. (I used one of OH’s washed oldish which handkerchief’s cut it into four and used one piece. Don’t tell him).



Heat gently until the mixture comes to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1½ hours until thick and pulpy and no excess liquid remains.

Remove spices and spoon into jars, cover and seal.

Another thing it did not mention to say, was that you must not seal the jars with metal lids. (But you can if you cover the jar with clingfilm first then do it).

Makes about 6lb

Mature for 2-3 months

Mine took about 2 hours, and I did have a bit of liquid which I was concerned about, but once bottled and cooled, the next day it was set - I will take a photo of it.

It smells wonderful, so should taste O.K.