Does Anyone have have tried and tested recipes for good chutneys and preserves that would make really nice christmas presents? I made fudge and biscuits last year in kilner jars and would like to try something else homemade to give this year for christmas.
Look forward to hearing any ideas:)

Hi I made this spiced apple chutney and gave it as presents last Xmas.
500g cooking apples
1 medium onion
2 bird's eye red chillies
250g demerara sugar
1 teaspoon each ground allspice; nutmeg; cinnamon; ground cloves; turmeric
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
black pepper
1 heaped teaspoon chopped or grated ginger
350ml cider vinegar
Peel and chop apples and onion. Seed the chillies and chop. Put everything in a heavy based pan and bring to boil stirring. Simmer until you can scrape a wooden spoon across the base of the pan and it doesn't fill with liquid - 45 mins to one hour. You will need to stir towards the end of cooking so it doesn't catch and burn. Put into 'le parfait' or kilner jars. This recipe makes one litre. It is best kept for 3 months before use (store in a dark, cool, cupboard).

Hope this helps.

I've had the same idea, and have made a beetroot chutney, and it was easy to make:

Beetroot Chutney

1kg raw beetroot shredded or grated (pink fingers im afraid)
450g onions skinned and chopped
675g apples peeled cored and chopped
450g seedless raisins (although I used sultanas - still tasted nice)
1L Malt vinegar
1KG Sugar
6 level teaspoons ground ginger

Makes about 2.75kg

Place all ingredients in preserving pan and bring to the boil.
Simmer over a moderate heat uncovered for about an hour until soft and puply.
Pot and cover in usual way.

If you are really into making jams and chutneys - I can recommend the Tefal Vitafruit Jam maker from Lakeland - I only had it in August and my shelves are bulging with lots of jam! Never made any before!

Hope you like the recipe - good luck with the pressie making

Heather.

Get Nigella's Christmas. It has fantastic chutney recipes that are very tasty.

Amongst their many books, the Womens Institute have published two on this subject which I'm sure you would find of interest: 'The WI Book of Preserves', currently available from Amazon @ £9.35, and 'Jams, Pickles and Chutneys', currently listed by a number of Amazon Marketplace sellers. I have both books, and although I haven't tried anything from them yet all the recipes I've tried from several other WI books have been very good - so I would think the WI books would be a really excellent starting point for you. Hope this helps - good luck.

PS: If you check out Delia on Line she has recipes for 'Pickled Shallots in Sherry Vinegar' - plus a number of chutneys, eg. 'Spiced Damson Chutney'.

Delia's smoked tomato chutney recipe is fabulous with cheese and cold meats. The addition of smoked paprika gives an extra dimension. My family adore it and I have a batch made for Christmas. Probably too good to give away!

How would you adapt this to the Tefal Jam maker? I have bought one and made lots of jam but am coming a bit stuck with chutneys - the instruction book they include is useless!!

I am thinking of buying the Tefal jam maker, do you recommend it? I have heard that the instruction booklet is based on a lighter set as favoured by people in Europe. If you go onto the Lakeland website and look at the reviews for the jam maker, I am sure the chutney problem is discussed

Good Housekeeping have some unusual ideas for making foodie gifts in the current issue with Katherine Jenkins on the cover. ie flavoured oils and sugars and also nougat.

Glad to see that another person has recommended getting the product from Lakeland and/or checking their www for an answer to your query - I don't have this product, but have bought loads of things from Lakeland over the years, and their Customer Service is FANTASTIC - they are SO helpful. For that reason, may I suggest that if you don't find the info you need on their www you contact their Customer Services directly with the question? If they don't help you I'll eat my hat, pickled or not. Tell us all what they say!

(Or I suppose you could contact Tefal's Customer Services.......)

I can attest to V.Macleod-Hogg Nigella's Christmas is a good book with a fantastic Christmas Chutney which is easy and quick to make and gorgeous to eat, almost anything it is also suitable for any vegitarian friends you may have

I bought my gran a book called Fruits of the Earth by Gloria Nicol off Amazon for her birthday as she enjoys making jam and she said it was the best she has seen on the subject :) and I don't think she was just saying that to make me happy ;-)

I read the "which" report on this and testers found that it did produce the soft set jam that is found in French recipe books for jam making. They don't reduce their jam as much as we do. On the other hand, soft jam is better than really solid jam which some people produce.

I have made Delia's Damson chutney which is amazing ( a bit late now for damsons). What about Pear chutney as pears are in season? I can post a recipe if necessary. Or Cranberry, they will be in shops soon, and it's a lovely festive colour

You can use a large saucepan for chutney making as chutney does not need to reduce in the same way that jam does. It needs to have a good solid base to help prevent burning due to high sugar content. Tefal customer service should be able to advise on using the jam maker for chutneys.

I agree, I use my stockpot and its fine. BBC Goodfood guide on line have some great chutney and jam receipes all for free. I have tried most of them and been successful - even with the marrow and ginger jam!

delia's doverhouse chutney has always been a winner - out of her complete cookery course (albeit the old brown one)

Has anyone bought sets of jam jars (for homemadejam and chutney) from Amazon? If so what did Amazon call them? I've tried the obvious but no luck except for very expensive jars sold singly. I save jars all year but this year have such a glut of fruit to turn into preserves I've used all my jars up!

I made courgette (huge ones that I left on my plants) and ginger jam this year too, its now my fave jam ever! I Used the recipe on UKTV's good food website, i did blend my courgette pieces while boiling though leaving a few bigger pieces, all in a stockpot.
Also made plum jam, think its a bit late for plums now though.
Apple and rhubarb chutney which is great with cheese, bit late for rhubarb now too though.
Tomato, courgette and onion chutney is one that everybody likes, you should still be just about be able to get these ingrediants (I'm basing all this on growing, if your buying then no problems!)
The cottage smallholder website has some good recipes too.

AmaryR, not bought jars before, you could try asking friends/relatives if they have any (or ask them to save them next year) bought some big jars for pickles from jamjarshop website ages ago, think they have jam jars, haha!

Not bought jars from Amazon, but my hubbie bought a large quantity on ebay. Brand new, no nonsense jars with lids, all different shapes and sizes. Worked out about 50p each and that was the cheapest we could find! Good luck

Lakeland have good ones!