As it is the third day of October I have given myself permission to use the ‘C’ word. I apologise if it offends.

You see, I’ve already made the mental shift into the back end of the year and, as someone with an insatiable need to plan and organise, this means I have started thinking about December 25th and all that goes with it.

With an ever expanding family {my sister-in-law is expecting her fourth child} and friends popping babies out left, right and centre, my Christmas shopping list seems to grow longer every year. I adore buying presents for children, and usually begin squirreling away books, toys and clothes for them before summer has even come to a close. Unfortunately, my desire to spoil the small people in my life necessitates a degree of frugality when it comes to the gifts for bigger people.

Luckily, giving handmade presents never makes me feel like Scrooge. While they may help save a few pennies, a gift you’ve made yourself will always be rich in time, effort and thought.

Last year I filled beautiful Kilner jars with this fragrant Christmas Chutney. The gifts, adorned with ribbon and pretty paper tags, were gratefully received and, by all accounts, I make a mean relish.

October is the perfect time to start thinking about chutney making. You need to collect a stash of jars and give your relish time to mature a little before Christmas day. Moreover, this type of deeply therapeutic cooking, the sort that fills your home with warm, spicy scents, is perfect for a blustery, cold, autumnal day.

You will need:

750g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small

1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped

500g fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen

250g soft pitted dates, each date cut into 3

zest, pulp and juice of 2 clementines/satsumas

400g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

500ml white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Maldon salt or 1 teaspoon table salt

{Makes approx. 2.2L. You will need 9 x 250ml sealable jars, with vinegar proof lid, such as Kilner jar or re-usable pickle jar.}

1. Begin by sterilizing your jars. I consider a dishwasher-clean jar {as long as it is fresh from the machine, with not so much as a finger touching the inside} a sterilized one. Otherwise, you can sterilize by washing your jars thoroughly in soapy water, rinsing them, and then letting them dry in a cool {140C/gas mark 1} oven. If you’re putting warm chutney into them, all jars must be used warm.

2. Place the apples, onion, cranberries and dates into a large pan.

3. Zest the citrus fruit over the top, squeeze in the juice and then scrape in the pulp.

4. Add the sugar and all the spices before pouring over the vinegar and sprinkling in the salt.

5. All that remains to be done is to give it a good stir, turn on the heat, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it bubble, uncovered, for about an hour or until it has become a pulpy mass.

6. Spoon into your warm, prepared jars and seal.

The chutney can be made up to 2 months before using {or giving}. Indeed, the longer it has to ‘mature’, the better. It should be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Once opened, store in the fridge and consume within one month.

Love Audrey xxx

The original recipe can be found in my festive cooking bible Nigella Christmas.