favourite chutneys

My home made Greengage, Garlic and Chilli is a family favourite. I make lots of different chutneys so rarely buy them but I can't resist Vampire's Revenge from the Isle of Wight Garlic Farm.

I make three that are always enjoyed :an uncooked one from an old M&S cookbook ,a fairly recent Fig chutney from a Waitrose recipe and an Oriental Relish from a cookbook which was published in monthly instalments about 40 years ago. I'm doing them in smaller jars these days as they are too heavy to lift from the top shelf in the litre jars. I've only made green tomato chutney once and what a waste of time.

My Orchard and Chili chutney - the fruit all depends on what I have a lot of any particular year. We eat it with cold meat, with cheese, alongside curry, whatever and DH eats it with a spoon if I don't catch him first

Geeta's Mango. Perfection.

My friend makes gooseberry and courgette chutney, and gave me some on toasted ciabatta with melted Brie on top. Amazing!

I love a dollop of Geeta's Mango Chutney on vanilla ice cream.

that is adventurous Sook. I just eat it with cheese or curry.

Pan Yan pickle? If only I could find some, to go with corned beef and mashed potato!

I make runner bean chutney in fairly large quantities (just found some of last year's under the bed). It helps to cope with the annual glut of beans and goes with lots of things.

"Geeta's", do/did a lime and chilli chutney but I haven't seen it recently. That was really lovely.

Woops! posted too soon. I have made Damson Chutney and I have some jars of green tomato chutney that is years old and still improving.

These all sound really delicious chutneys. I made green tomato chutney years ago, and remember it being rather nice.I shall have to try the Geeta mango[is it better than Sharwoods?] sook on ice cream?Apart from with curry and cold meat, most chutneys are great with cheese, but find some combinations a bit 'far out' for me, so tend to stick to the tried and trusted.Would never be brave enough to make or buy gooseberry and courgette, but I suppose it's good to try things, as Noel Coward famously said ' You should try everything once, dear boy, apart from incest and morris dancing!'

Does anyone buy from W.I. markets, stalls at 'fayres' or from anyone that you don't know, for home made stuff?

I have a lovely recipe for beetroot chutney - my husband eats it with EVERYTHING -really. It never lasts long. Bless him.

Mine tend to be designed to use up gluts of fruit and veg from the garden. I make a very hot achocha curry every year and variations on a courgette and apple theme. Last year all the neighbours turned up with large quantities of very dark red peaches; that has been a fabulous chutney. I also made yellow tomato ketchup last year, which the grandchildren loved.

I used to make an orange pickle, which seems to go with anything savoury.
you boil the oranges briefly with some salt, then slice and cook in a pickling mixture.( Vinegar, syrup, spices etc, precooked and strained.)
Cook the slices in the pickle for about 30 mins.

I would never have thought of orange pickle, but why not I suppose. I have never heard of achocha either [*Mamie*]is this French?

Make my own apple chutney and eat it with all cold meats, pies and cheese, plus sometimes use it in cooking.

Achocha is a lost crop of the Incas! Sort of half pepper and half cucumber. I don't think it is very exciting on its own, but fab in chutneys and curries. The French neighbours regard it with great suspicion.

Green tomato chutney is the nearest there is to Branston, it is a great favourite with our family. My favourite though is a spicy damson one. And I love damson ketchup, (filched by Delia from Mrs Beeton, as is the green tomato chutney) which is almost exactly the same as the chinese plum sauce that you get in a bottle. Both of them keep for years, I think I shall be making them for my kids until my toes curl up.

I've found that any chutney kept for 3 years+ tastes like Branston