Orchard Cottage Chutney - cooking recipe

Ingredients

900 g plums, washed, halved and stoned (no need to peel)
900 g ripe tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
850 ml malt vinegar
6 garlic cloves
450 g onions
225 g raisins
1 1/8 kg cooking apples, peeled and cored
450 g demerara sugar
24 g salt
50 g whole pickling spices
1 small muslin, bag

Preparation

Put the plums, tomatoes and vinegar into a large preserving pan. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until very soft.
Mince together the garlic, onions, raisins and apples or use a food processor to chop them finely. Add to the plum mixture with the sugar, salt and bag of spices. (see note below regarding spices).
Heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and then simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the chutney is well reduced and very thick. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Remove the bag of spices and spoon into hot sterilised jars and seal down.
Allow jars to cool before labeling and store for 2-3 weeks before using.
NOTE: Use a mixture of any or all of the following for the spices: Peppercorns, allspice berries, ginger, celery seeds, cloves, dried chillies or coriander seeds. Tie them up into a clean muslin bag.