Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Honey….

I was very short of time last night however I simply have to get some more chutney and pickles done before the Sugar and Spice event in a months time…My stock pile is looking quite healthy now but when placed on a 6ft table I'm guessing it's still going to look a little lost! I have however, got some larger 8oz jars now for the pickled vegetables and they will make the spread look a bit fuller! I actually prepared some red cabbage before starting on the chutney last night by slicing and layering with salt…it's been left overnight in the fridge. That made a mess of my hands and chopping board! Purple fingers and a lot of scrubbing later I started on the Honey Chutney…

I found a recipe for Uncooked Honey Chutney which sounded a little unusual and fresh. A quick whizz round the grocers later and I'd got all of the necessary ingredients and within an hour was at home chopping and peeling and mixing. Possibly the easiest chutney I've put together and very pretty once in the jars! No boiling (and very probable re-boiling) no overpowering smell of pickle and vinegar in the house (a smell I've become very accustomed to over the past few months!) AND only one pan to clean afterwards!!!! I made sure the jars were piping hot when I potted it all up so that a good vacuum was created. With the contents going in cold I was a little worried that the usual vacuum seal created by putting hot chutney into hot jars and the resulting cooling process would obviously not be created! I don't have any actual burns from the hot jars but I heard my fingers sizzle when I picked the first one up!!!

The chutney is a gorgeous golden colour! The chunkiness of it is really appealing to me too…plus because the fruit is raw I'll bet it'll be really fruity and fresh when ready!