Kirstie's Homemade Christmas Recipes

Boxing Day Chutney
Get Ahead Vegetables
Roast Mosaic Turkey
Mince Pie Buns
Chocolate Truffles & Crispy Christmas Tree

Kirstie with the chutney she made with Victoria

Victoria Cranfield's Boxing Day Chutney, winner of the Taste of the West Silver Award 2009, goes really well with all the meats you'll have left over after Christmas day. Unlike other chutneys, this one is edible straight away, which is great if you need to cook up a last minute gift.

This recipe should make around 20 x 8 ounce jars.

Fresh ingredients

2lbs (900g) onions, sliced
2lb Bramley cooking apples, peeled and chopped
1 pkt fresh cranberries 12oz (340g)
2 pints cider vinegar
Zest 2 oranges
1oz (28g) fresh ginger chopped finely
1tbsp coarse sea salt
½ tsp mixed spice

Dried ingredients

2lb naturally dried apricots coarsely chopped
1 pkt of dates pitted and chopped (175g/6oz)
1lb raisins
Juice of 8 oranges or 1pint orange juice.

You will also need:

2lb (900g) English sugar

Method

First, put the dried fruit into a bowl and pour the orange juice over it, to soak.

Place the first block of ingredients (the fresh ingredients) into a saucepan and cook gently, until the onion is pale and see-through and the cranberries have given up some of their colour, turning the contents pale pink.

Add the dried fruit - which will have absorbed much of the orange juice - to the saucepan, together with the sugar.

Bring up to a simmering boil, stirring frequently so the contents don't 'catch' on the bottom of the saucepan.

As the liquid appears to thicken, reduce the heat slightly, then decant the chutney into sterilised jars and seal.

Get more Christmas recipes on the Channel 4 Food site.