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 Plum Chutney recipe that complements not only cheese but can be used as a condiment for pork and poultry dishes. The balsamic vinegar, sweet plums and sharp onion work in perfect harmony in this great recipe. Moreover, they make perfect little Christmas gifts!
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Abundant Plum Harvest
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 to be used. So we embarked on a plum-flavoured journey, trying to find a perfect way to put them to good use. We
- Ate them fresh.
- Made a lovely Plum Cake with Spelt Flour.
- Stocked out cupboard with Plum Jam.
- And lastly, created the most delicious Plum Chutney with Red Onions.
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 fresh plums. Whilst a variety of plums can be used, ideally, you want to get hold of some Damson, Victoria or the sweet Greengage plums.
- caster sugar: or white granulated sugar. You may also use light brown sugar, but the colour of your chutney will be less vibrant. If you want your plum chutney to set like jam, make sure to use sugar with added pectin.
- red onion: can be replaced with shallots.
- garlic cloves.
- balsamic vinegar: can be replaced by apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar, but I'd recommend adding extra sugar if you choose to do so.
Want To Add Extra Flavour?
- Add a tablespoon of red pepper flakes (chilli flakes) for a hot chutney.
- Mustard seeds will give your plum chutney a bit more of that savoury taste.
- Add a cinnamon stick and star anise for a spiced plum chutney!
Tips for Best Results
- If you like your chutney less chunky, make sure to chop the onion and plums into tiny pieces. You may also blitz the onion in a food processor.
- Make sure to stir your chutney once in a while to ensure it is not catching on the bottom of the pan.
- Adjust the recipe based on the sweetness of the plums. If your plums are very sweet, add a little bit of lemon juice to balance the flavours. Do not reduce the amount of sugar, as it acts as a preservative in this recipe.
- This recipe is for a small batch, but you can double or triple the recipe if you have lots of plums to use.
- Use a canning method for longer storage.
Method
Wash and quarter ripe 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 large pan, add vinegar and bring to a boil. Pour in any juices that have been released from the plums overnight. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to low-medium heat and simmer 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 leave it on a gentle simmer on medium-low heat for approx. 30 minutes, stirring once in a while with a wooden spoon, until it reaches a desired consistency. Cooking time will depend on how thick you want the chutney to be.
Ladle into hot sterilised jars, wipe the jar rims and seal. Leave the jars on the kitchen counter undisturbed to cool down to room temperature. Then move them to a dark cool cupboard for storage.
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?
This savoury but sweet plum chutney is such a great accompaniment to brie, stilton, mature cheddar and any other of your favourite cheese. What is more, it pairs well with charcuterie board cold cuts, much like many other savory jams. But most importantly, it goes exceptionally well with Christmas Turkey or Christmas Ham! Maybe we'll even skip a traditional cranberry sauce this year! And you can make a delicious leftover turkey sandwich with a spoonful of this chutney too!
However, this chutney is not only for Christmas! Serve it with grilled meats at your next summer BBQ party. We love it with BBQ Pork Tenderloin or Grilled Chicken Thighs.
Other Chutney Recipes
Get ready for the winter months by preserving summer flavours in small jars. Here are some of our favourite homemade chutney recipes to try:
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 says
How much sugar !! Just assuming 250 grams
Ieva says
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 says
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!
Kim Drake says
I made this and added a red chilli ground ginger and all spice 😊
Ieva says
All spice sounds like an AMAZING addition! 🙂
Lottie says
How long will this keep for?
Ieva says
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! 🙂
Georgette C Tischer says
do I need to water can this or vinegar gives it shelf life?
Ieva Greber says
Good question, and worth getting right. The vinegar and sugar in the chutney does help preserve it, but for it to be properly shelf-stable in a cupboard, you'd still want to water bath can it in sterilised jars, that's what actually creates the seal and stops anything nasty growing once opened. If you're just planning to keep it in the fridge and use it within a couple of months, you can skip the canning step and just spoon it into a clean, sterilised jar. But for longer pantry storage, water bath canning is the safer route.