Christmas is a time to eat cheese. And lots of it! But no cheese board would be complete without a lovely chutney. Here, we are sharing our recipe for Plum and Red Onion Chutney that complements not only cheese but can be used as a condiment for pork and poultry dishes. Moreover, they make perfect little Christmas gifts!
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Back in August, we had the most abundant harvest of plums. Juicy sweet plums were weighing down our plum tree branches. By the end of the month, they were getting very ripe and needed using. We ate them fresh, made lovely cakes and jams and lastly, created the most delicious Plum and Red Onion Chutney with Christmas in mind!
How to Sterilise Jars?
Clean sterilized jars are crucial to the success and longevity of any jams and other preserves you make. Sterilizing is an important part of preserving to remove bacteria, yeasts or fungi, therefore your jams and preserved are protected and safe to eat for longer.
To sterilise your jars, preheat the oven to 120°C Fan. Pour boiling water right up to the top into your clean jars and metal lids. Pour the water out and place the jars and lids apart in the preheated oven. Heat for 15 minutes. Switch off the oven and leave the jars to cool down before removing them from the oven.
Ingredients
- plums: this recipe requires ripe, sweet, juicy plums. Ideally, you want to get hold of some Damson, Victoria or the sweet Greengage plums.
- caster sugar: or granulated sugar.
- red onion
- garlic
- balsamic vinegar: can be replaced by apple cider vinegar, but I’d recommend adding extra sugar if you choose to do so.
Method
Wash and quarter your plums and remove the stones. If your plums are very big, you may want to cut them into eight wedges. Tip them in an airtight container, pour the sugar all over, mix and place in the fridge overnight for the juices to release.
The next day, finely chop red onion and garlic. Tip them into a pan, add vinegar and bring to a boil. Pour in any juices that have been released from the plums overnight. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
Now scoop all the sugar-coated plums into the pan. Season with some salt and black pepper. Bring to a full rolling boil for 5 minutes. Then simmer on low heat for approx. 30 minutes, stirring once in a while.
Ladle into hot sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool. If you’re planning to use this chutney for cheese and crackers, make sure you don’t ladle in too much of the juices to keep it thicker. The thinner version makes a perfect relish for poultry dishes, including your Christmas turkey!
What Goes Well With Plum and Onion Chutney?
It is such a great accompaniment to brie, stilton and mature cheddar. But most importantly, it goes exceptionally well with Christmas Turkey! Maybe we’ll even skip a traditional cranberry sauce this year!
You will find other wonderfully tasty sides on our Christmas dinner plates, including:
Recipe Card
Plum and Onion Chutney
Ingredients
- 650 g plums ripe, quartered and destoned
- 175 g caster sugar
- 300 g red onion very finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove very finely chopped
- 60 ml balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Wash and quarter your plums and remove the stones. If your plums are very big, you may want to cut them into eight wedges. Tip them in an airtight container, pour the sugar all over, mix and place in the fridge overnight for the juices to release.
- The next day, finely chop red onion and garlic. Tip them into a pan, add vinegar and bring to a boil. Pour in any juices that have been released from the plums overnight. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
- Now scoop all the sugar-coated plums into the pan. Season with some salt and black pepper. Bring to a full rolling boil for 5 minutes. Then simmer on low heat for approx. 30 minutes, stirring once in a while.
- Ladle into hot sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool. If you're planning to use this chutney for cheese and crackers, make sure you don't ladle in too much of the juices to keep it thicker. Thinner version makes a perfect relish for poultry dishes, including your Christmas turkey!
Notes
Nutrition
Sue symons
How much sugar !! Just assuming 250 grams
Ieva
My apologies for forgetting to add sugar to the ingredients. I used 150g of caster sugar for 500g of ripe sweet plums. I have now updated the recipe.
Steve
Made this with some lovely greengages and it is delicious! Not too sweet, slightly thinner and less sticky than usual chutney, but really tasty! Great with smoked duck!
Lottie
How long will this keep for?
Ieva
Hi Lottie, we have kept it in a cool dark cupboard for 6 months, and then in the fridge after opening. This chutney is slightly lower in sugar, so if you want to prolong its life, it’s best to store it in the fridge! 🙂