DIY: chutney - to make or to buy? - Food Blog

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DIY: chutney - to make or to buy?

Posted at 12:02PM, 17 October 2012 by Roxanne Fisher - Writer/Sub-editor, bbcgoodfood.com

Is it always worth making your favourites from scratch? Our DIY series puts shop bought and homemade to the test - this week, chutney...

Those virtuous enough to enjoy a seasonal garden glut know just how easy it can be to transform a bounty of fruit and veg into a delectable condiment. However, those without a crop horde to use up may not see the point of all that chopping, simmering and stirring when your favourite flavour pairing can be snapped up in seconds from a supermarket shelf.

For those stuck on the fence between homemade and shop bought our food editor, Caroline Hire, has put both through their paces, testing ease, taste and cost, so you don't have to...

The cost:

Cost of shop bought chutney:
£2.50 (per 250g jar)

Cost of ingredients for homemade chutney:
£2 (per 250g jar)

Recipe Caroline used:
Classic apple chutney

''Even if you buy the apples, the ingredients for the homemade chutney are only around £2 - cheaper than the equivalent shop bought chutney which was about £2.50 for a jar.''

Caroline's tip...

''Chutney makes a great gift - this recipe made about four jam jars worth so I can pack up a couple and give to friends. You could even use tiny jars to stretch it even further.''

The making:

''The recipe is as easy as it gets, you simply chop the ingredients, throw them in a pan and then simmer for 30-40 minutes. When I have made chutney before I've tried to use up what's left in my storecupboard, so sometimes I'll substitute different brown sugars or other vinegars like white wine and sherry. If I've got sultanas not raisins I use them and this time I had some dried cranberries, so they went in too.

The recipe I followed requires you leave the chutney to cool and then you are free to spoon into jars or eat. However, I find leaving your chutney in a cool dark place for a month or two really matures the flavour nicely, and does away with any sharp vinegar notes that may be lingering.''

How to make chutney video guide

Caroline's tip...

''Sterilising the jars is easy too. I simply wash them in hot, soapy water and then dry them out in a low oven (about 100°C)''

The taste:

''Personally I preferred the mellow flavour of the homemade chutney to the sharper taste of the shop bought. I also think it has a more attractive look and texture than a lot you can buy. I like to know what has gone into my food, so this ticks all the boxes for me.''

The verdict:

''If you want to eat your chutney instantly then shop bought may be for you. However, if you're in no rush, homemade gets my vote this time. Tastier and cheaper than shop bought, and hardly more effort than popping to the shops. I am lucky enough to have an apple tree in the garden so it's a great way of using up the windfall. This is a really delicious recipe, which goes well with a cheeseboard or in a ham sandwich - and will be ideal with Christmas meats and in foodie hampers.''

Fancy having a go at making your own?
Try our favourite preserve recipes

Making a batch to give as a gift?
Add the finishing touch with our printable recipe labels

Comments

CHATTOPLATTO

7 November 2012, 3:16PM
CHATTOPLATTO

each time I clicked on various items of interst I receive dthis message: "Whoops! The page could not be found. Try giving it another chance below"!!!!!

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hamish mctavish

7 November 2012, 3:40PM
hamish mctavish

Well, it is only dubiously worth it in these UK terms. Where I live, English chutney is fabulously expensive, but if I use (not apples but the) apricots from the garden, there is utterly no comparison.

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Shirley

7 November 2012, 6:25PM
Shirley

i make my own mustard pickle from the margret patterncookery book that was a wedding present it is at least 43years old

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Jacqui

7 November 2012, 7:05PM
Jacqui

I love making chutneys jams pickles, I give a lot away as gifts this year people donated to a charity for a jar of my chutney. Home made is so much nicer than shop bought and you get the pleasure of making it and knowing what is in the jar.

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kimbo59

7 November 2012, 7:55PM
kimbo59

I'm just making GReen Tomatoe Chutney, smells lovely, tastes fantastic. so much nicer than shop bought & lasts all year.

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Ellie McG

7 November 2012, 8:48PM
Ellie McG

I make mango chutney... it is much nicer than shop bought and cheaper as I make it when I can get mangos on offer!

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Dan

9 November 2012, 4:16PM
Dan

Sorry but Â£2 for all those ingredients? No chance, costs Â£2.50 just to get enough light muscovado sugar...

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lightowl

14 November 2012, 9:31AM
lightowl

There is no comparison. Home made is by far the best. All my family appreciate and enjoy my jams, chutneys and relishes. It's also a fabulous way of spending a wet and windy autumn afternoon doing something useful for your friends and family.

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