Chutneys are essential at christmas when there’s cheese everywhere you look (or at least there should be) so we made a batch of spiced pear chutney!
This spiced chutney is perfect for christmas as it has all the traditionally festive spices. We love making chutneys and other preserves during the winter as we find any excuse to eat cheese, and they make great presents. We think that a hamper full of homemade chutneys and jams is an great gift and means you have to eat cheese (yes, you HAVE to). This pear chutney will taste great with a range of cheeses, especially gorgonzola (yum).
The greatest thing about chutneys is that they are so easy to make!! pretty much involves chucking everything in a pan and letting it all cook down! We cut our pear into roughly 1cm cubes, but you can have a less chunky (or chunkier) chutney if you like, depends on each person’s preference. We personally leave the pear in fairly large chunk as it works well as another texture alongside smoother jams and chutneys like caramelised onion and chilli jam.
- 1kg pear, peeled and chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped,
- 3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
- 250ml apple cider vinegar
- 100g sultanas
- 300g soft brown sugar
- 1tsp cayenne pepper
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 5 cloves
- 1 star anise
- salt and pepper
- In a large saucepan, add the pear, onion and garlic to a medium heat until they begin to soften.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and increase the heat to high and bring to the boil.
- Leave the chutney on the heat for about an hour or until it reaches the thickness you desire, stirring every now and again to prevent sticking.
- Remove the star anise from the chutney before transferring to sterilised jars
To sterilise your jars, wash them thoroughly, rinse water and dry them out in the oven at about 140/150C until they are completely dry.
