I am a keen cook, and love experimenting with new recipes or ingredients, and being an advocate of the waste not want not brigade and keen on the concept of slow living,  foraging and making my own basics really appeals to me, hence the allotment, hens, and  bee-hives. This is the first in a series of what I do with produce that comes my way.

 I have been given permission to pick various fruits from an ancient orchard where my bees reside. The margins of the field were groaning with Damsons and Bullaces, just asking to be collected and made into some kind of Preserve. The first 2lbs were turned into Damson Gin, and I'll explain how to do that another day. A further 3lbs were used to make Spiced Damson Chutney, based on a Delia recipe. You can use any plum or bullace for this recipe, and if I am using golden plums or gages, I use golden raisins and light brown sugar instead as this produces a lighter coloured finished product.  It works wonderfully with cheeses, especially a good strong Cheddar in a Ploughman's Lunch, and its pretty amazing with Cumberland Pork Sausages, or Wild Boar Burgers. I'll write more about how to make these at a later date.

Ingredients

3lb of plums, Damsons, Bullaces, Mirrabelles, or any good culinary variety will do.  Mix them if required to make the weight up.

1 cinnamon stick

1oz whole allspice berries

2tsp ground ginger

1dssp whole cloves

2pints malt vinegar

1lb cooking apples

3 cloves of Garlic

3 onions

1lb raisins

1lb Demerara sugar

1lb soft brown sugar

2tbsp  coarse salt

Method

Stone the  plums/damsons and place in a preserving pan.

Peel and chop onions finely (you can do this is a Food Processor), add to pan

Core and chop apples finely (you can do this is a Food Processor), add to pan

Place the cloves, cinnamon, and the allspice in a muslin bag and tie them up tightly and add to pan.

Add all the other ingredients and give a good stir.

Bring to the  boil stirring so as not to allow anything to burn, and then reduce the heat so that the chutney simmers for 2 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally until it has thickened. The best way to test whether it has reached the correct consistency is to do the Channel Test. Draw a wooden spoon across the surface of the chutney. It will leave a furrow for a few seconds when ready, that doesn't fill with surplus vinegar.

Once ready, whilst still hot, decant into sterilised hot glass jars, and seal using vinegar proof lids. Label the jars when they are cold. This makes about 6lbs of chutney, so have plenty of jars ready in the oven. Keep for 12 weeks before consuming to allow the flavour to mellow.