Spiced Plum Chutney with Apple

This spicy plum chutney recipe is so easy to make, and the perfect way to preserve an autumn glut of plums and apples. Make it now to enjoy through the winter, with cold cuts, cheese and leftover turkey. Perfect for gifting too.

A Harvest Treat

Plums are plentiful at this time of year. They are one of our most abundant British fruits, so if you don’t have the luck to stumble on them growing wild, they can be a wonderful late summer bargain from the local market.

If you have more plums than you can eat, this delicious spiced plum and apple chutney is a great way to preserve any surplus fruit.

It certainly makes a change from filling up the cupboards with jam (though I do love plum jam!).

My spicy apple and plum chutney is sweet and sour with depth from the layers of spices, so that it has that lovely autumnal feel. It goes well with cheeses and cold cuts, and would be great for livening up a sandwich lunch.

If you like to make up hampers at Christmas, a jar of spicy plum chutney would be a lovely addition to someone’s gift.  

You can make this plum chutney recipe with any variety of plum. I have used the classic Bramley apples, the traditional perfect cooker, but others will work too. It’s very easy to make, and if you have never attempted chutney before, this is a good place to start.

There’s none of the worry about setting points that you have with jam making, and the results are impressive. 

5 Great Uses for Plum Chutney

1. Serve with a cheese board for added spice and piquant contrast. 
2. Add to a toasted or grilled sandwich. Beware, though, as it will get very hot! 
3. It’s a great traditional accompaniment to cold meat.
4. Serve with leftover cold turkey as a post-Christmas or Thanksgiving treat.
5. Adds flavour to cottage cheese for a low fat snack. 
6. Presents – everyone appreciates a jar of homemade preserve!  My friends return the jars so I can use them again and again. 

Spiced Plum and Apple Chutney Recipe – Step by Step

Step one – Weigh and prepare the ingredients. Wash and stone the plums, discarding any damaged fruit.

Look out for any with dark brown eggs round the stone from plum moths, and throw these away.

Peel, core and chop the apples into 1 cm (half inch) pieces. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Crush the garlic.

Step two  – Transfer all the fruit to a large stainless steel saucepan or heavy enamelled casserole dish. Add the rest of the ingredients.

Don’t use a cast iron, copper or aluminium pan for making chutney. They react to the vinegar giving your preserves an unwanted metallic taste.  

Step three – Bring to the boil. Then turn down to a low simmer. While your plum chutney cooks, warm some clean jam jars in the oven at 160°C/Gas mark 3.

This sterilizes the jars, making them safe for long term storage. It also helps to avoid them cracking when you fill them with the hot chutney. 

 Step four – Simmer until the chutney has thickened. 

The chutney is ready when a spatula scraping the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail for a second of before seeping back into the space. 

Use your common sense here as if the pan is fuller you won’t get a trace. 

Step five – Once the chutney has thickened sufficiently, fill the jars. The easiest way to do this to transfer the hot chutney to a Pyrex jug and use a jam funnel.

I usually stand the jars in a roasting tin to fill them in case one cracks, spilling hot chutney everywhere. 

Step six – Screw the lids on tightly and leave to cool. The lids should pop down as the chutney cools, indicating that they are properly sealed. 

Step seven – Keep jars in a cool, dark cupboard for at least a month. The chutney will really benefit from at least three months before you open it. Fresh chutney really does not taste great, so if you try any leftovers when you have filled your jars, don’t be disappointed. Just leave it to mature. 

Spices

I’ve kept the spices quite light in this chutney as I want to taste the fruit.  I’ve used teaspoon in total of mixed spices, as well as my flavoured pickling vinegar.    Remember the flavour will develop with time as the chutney matures and the sharpness of the vinegar mellows 

You want a mix of warming spices and a little heat.   Grind any whole spices prior to adding to the chutney.   Try any of 

• Chilli
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Ginger
• Cloves 
• Cinnamon
• All Spice 
• Mustard seeds

How Long Does Plum Chutney Keep?

As with any chutney, your spiced plum chutney will keep for years, but may start losing flavour after a year, so it’s best not to keep it too long. Better to make a modest batch once a year.

Once opened I keep mine in the fridge (I have short on cupboard space), but it will be fine for a few weeks in the cupboard. 

Watch out for Plum Moths

Plums can attract the plum moth, which lays its eggs on the immature fruit in late spring. If any of your plums have black specks or caterpillars inside them, then discard them. 

Hints and Tips for Spiced Plum Chutney with Apple 

• If you don’t have enough plums or apples, don’t worry. Simply make up the shortfall with the other fruit (apple for plum or vice versa) so that you have a total of 1.5 kg of fruit. 
• Vary the spicing according to your taste. Prefer a chutney with a bit more kick? Add more spice! 
• You can change the spices to suit your own preference (or spice rack). Add some allspice or cloves (or both) for a warming winter feel. 
• If you don’t have time to make the chutney, stone and freeze the plums. When you do have time, defrost the fruit and proceed from there.