Peach and Walnut Chutney

If you like a fruit chutney and you can get your hands on some peaches, I have the recipe for you! The recipe is for Peach and Walnut Chutney, and comes from The Veg Space.

I love this chutney - thick and fruity and savoury, with nice texture from the walnuts.  It is so good - I wish I’d made a larger batch.

This chutney is good spread on bread with meat and salad, and would make an excellent accompaniment to roasts or in sauces.

 If you would like to make this chutney, you will need (for a full batch):

6 onions, finely chopped

14 peaches 

Zest of 2 lemons

720ml cider or white wine vinegar

700g sugar

175g chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

First, skin the peaches by putting a cross in the top and bottom of the skin of each peach, covering the peaches with boiling water for a minute, then draining the peaches and pulling off the skins.  Remove the stone from the peaches by cutting each one in half down the middle and twisting out the stone (or cutting it out for clingstone peaches).

Roughly chop the peaches, and place them into a large saucepan with all of the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down and allow the mixture to simmer, stirring regularly to stop it from burning onto the base of the pan, for around 90 minutes or until the mixture is thick and jammy. The mixture stinks a bit because of the vinegar, and it is a bit of a time investment, but the end result is worth it.

While the chutney is simmering, sterilise 5 or so jars by either boiling the jars and lids in a pot of boiling water for ~20 minutes and drying them out in the oven, or running the jars through the hot cycle on the dishwasher.

Spoon the cooked chutney into the jars until nearly full  and seal immediately.  I find that turning the sealed jars upside down for a few minutes helps to create an airtight seal (you will hear the button on the lid pop in when the seal has been created). Allow the chutney to cool completely in the jars before storing in a dark cool place.

Leave the chutney to mature in the jars for 4 weeks before opening.