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Katie's 'Chuck-It-All-In Chutney'




















This recipe is from my latest cookbook acquisition, which is squeezed into the already tight bookcase. It really is a fab book. I was so excited once I opened it. It is so colourful and quirky and overflowing with photos (a must in my book, no pun intended!). The book is Leon 2 and you just have to buy it. You will love it too, I just know you will!

This is the second book by the Leon Restaurant of which there are now nine in total. I can see why they are so popular, their food is scrummy!

They like to cook seasonally and care about using only the highest quality ingredients, which is a good rule of thumb for all of us, although I must say I do fall down on eating seasonally. I do buy seasonally up to a point, then I decide I want to pretend it is Summer and all that will satisfy is some Mediterranean inspired food. I do like to pretend that Winter isn't lasting all of 6 months here in Scotland. It is self-delusional, I know.

I will be trying out a lot of the recipes from this book, but I decided to start of with a chutney. I do like to have chutney to enjoy with a cheese board or pasties over the winter.






Here are a few others to drool over:

* Roast Carrots & Fennel in Parmesan Breadcrumbs
* Raw Masala Carrot Dip
* Tuscan Beans with Sage
* Dalston Sweet Potato Curry
* Caramelized Pear Flambe
* Upside-Down Apple & Cardamom Tart


And now on to my chutney.

If you are looking for another chutney to try, try this apple and onion chutney.

Katie's 'Chuck-It-All-In Chutney'

2kg green tomatoes or ripe red tomatoes
450g onions
450g apples
6 plums
2 fresh green chillies
255g raisins or currants, or a mixture
1 level tablespoon salt
450g brown sugar
6 cloves of garlic
a 5cm piece of fresh ginger
2 cinnamon sticks
10 cloves
1.2 litres malt vinegar, or any other vinegar


1. Chop the tomatoes and onions finely. Core the apples and stone the plums, then chop finely (you can leave the skin on the apples). Deseed and chop the chillies.

2. Put all the chopped fruit, vegetables and chillies in a big pan, along with the raisins or currants, salt and sugar. Crush the garlic and add to the pan. Stir well.

3. Wrap the ginger and spices in a muslin square, or an old tea towel, and tie with string, leaving the ends long enough to tie to the pan handle so that the bundle can be removed easily. (Or you can use a 'pickling basket' if you have one.) Add your spice bundle to the pan with the vinegar.

4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let the chutney simmer very gently for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally. You'll know the consistency is about right when you can drag a spoon through the mixture and it leaves a trail that doesn't immediately fill up with vinegar.

5. Pour the hot chutney into jars. Cover the chutney with a disc of waxed paper, wax side down, and seal tightly with a lid.

6. Label when cold, and DON'T EAT IT for AT LEAST a month, preferably two. The flavours mellow, and it's much more delicious. It will keep for at least a year, sealed. Once you have opened it, keep it in the fridge.

Makes 6-8 jars depending on the size (I filled 6 x 400g jars and another jar ¾ full)





Disclosure Statement: I received this book free from the publisher to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

25 comments

  1. This chutney sounds delicious.Enjoyng your blog posts.
    Thanks to Helen who introduced your blog to me.
    Do drop by simply food some time.

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  2. I just must say: chutney is so much more of a UK thing than I'm used to! I'd bump up the peppers by maybe 2 habañeros at least and would cut the vinegar down by half!

    Wow, this is a strange place.

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  3. Hey Simply Food, thanks for visiting, I will drop by to see you soon :)

    Now David, you must try some homemade chutney with some cheese and crusty bread or oatcakes and some fruit before you dismiss it! Honestly, it is lovely stuff. It is good with a curry too.

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  4. This chutney looks great and flavourful(is it really possible to wait one or two month before trying it??)

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  5. Chuck it all in anything is my type of cooking! I need to make my Christmas chutneys this week.

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  6. Are there free stickers with this one? I bought the first Leon book and was really disappointed by the recipes but didn't regret the purchase because of the cool stickers!

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  7. Looks like a fun book Jacqueline with fin photos and delicious recipes.

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  8. I have the frist Leon book and made sweet potato falafels from it last year, this new book is on my wish list.

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  9. Oooh, you've really made me want that cookbook now - it looks really interesting! Love the recipe for the chutney - sounds like just my kind of recipe, chuck it all in. Might have to give it a try.

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  10. Jacqueline, how does it compare to a typical mango chutney? I would imagine it's mushier? Flavor wise, is it similar or as good?
    I love chutney with ploughmans lunch and just finished the last bottle of my gran's mango chutney. I will have to make my own now as she passed in March:(

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  11. I love chutney - just tried a new one last week and it is quite sweet - this looks amazing - so much flavour and just right for winter comfort

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  12. Looks like a book worth having and the chutney sounds delicious. I really like plums in chutney.

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  13. Not sure that I have ever seen a more appropriate recipe name than this one. "Chucking it all in" is my kind of style.

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  14. Well Vanessa, we had a sneaky try. The last jar only filled up to the 3/4 mark, so it was a good excuse to open it. It it very tasty, but I know it will be even better in a month or two :)

    That is just what I have been doing Helen :)

    Hey Wendy, I think there are stickers. Such a shame the first book was a disappointment. I love this one. It is lovely just to flick through :)

    I think that is a good enough reason to make it Brittany :)

    It is Val, I am so glad I got a copy :)

    Sweet potato falafels sound really good Mangocheeks, yum :P

    It is a really lovely book C, a great one to leave lying around for people to pick up and dip into.

    It isn't mushy Jane, it is darker, with a deeper, richer flavour and not as sweet :)

    I agree Johanna, perfect for the winter. Graham is enjoying it on his sandwiches just now.

    Me too Choclette, I made another chutney with plums and it was really good too.

    Me too TB :)

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  15. This certainly seems to be a very popular book. Great sounding chutney so I can understand why ;0)

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  16. It is a thing of great beauty Chele :)

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  17. I have the first LEon book but not this one...sounds like I need to make a purchase!!!

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  18. What a beautiful-loooking cookbook. My shelves are at bursting point so I think I may need to purge a few so that I can acquire a few new ones! I love chutneys like this - always handy to have in the cupboard.

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  19. That name says it all, Jacqueline! There's a lot of flavor in that chutney. Perfect for the holidays...and would be super with sandwiches.

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  20. That is the second time I've seen this cookbook in my blog hopping tonight. I like the sound of it even more now. Like yourself my shelves are tightly packed, but maybe just one more....

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  21. I've got this cook book - totally love it. Must make this chutney - bet it tastes amazing

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  22. I think I may need the first book CC :)

    Hey Antonia, I would find it hard to let go of cookbooks, other books yes, but not cookbooks :)

    It is very tasty Barbara, which I knew it would be, but I was surprised it wasn't more of a red colour.

    Yeah, go on Janice, another cookbook won't make too much difference, hehe :D

    It's lovely Beth, both the book and the chutney :)

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  23. The chutney looks great - must give it a go.

    I really enjoyed this book too.

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  24. Looks like a great book and i love the chutney x

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x