Makes 5–6 jars |  Prep 20 minutes  |  Cook 2–3 hours

Roasting this chutney in the oven means that you no longer have to slave over a hot pot. Instead, you can tend to other things as the plums, ginger and chilli slowly come together to form this rich, velvety chutney.

INGREDIENTS

2 kg plums, stones removed, quartered

4–5 onions (1 kg), quartered, thinly sliced

6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

100 g ginger, thinly sliced

2 tbsp sea salt

1 cinnamon stick, broken in two

1 tbsp chilli flakes

750 g sugar

300 ml malt vinegar

 

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Put all the ingredients into a large roasting dish, mix, then put into the oven. Roast for 2–3 hours, stirring from time to time, until it becomes silky and thick. Cooking time will depend on the moisture content of your plums and the temperature of your oven. Remember the chutney will continue to thicken a little as it cools.

Once the chutney has reached the desired consistency, spoon into hot sterilised jars then screw on the lids and set aside to cool. Keeps for a year and tastes better with time!