Keep or Give: Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas…and it snowed today! A snowy day calls for staying home, keeping warm and making a big pan of Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney. It is so easy to make (less than twenty minutes and it’s done) and it goes with a whole host of Christmas goodies – your Christmas day roast, cold cuts, a baked Camembert or brie…which is what we’re having tonight with a warm baguette and a glass of red wine. Or, if you are getting ahead and are gift making, you can jar it up, add a pretty label and you’ll have another present ticked off your list. Keep or Give? Luckily this recipe makes two jars!

Spiced Plum Chutney

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Ren Behan
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g/three cups fresh cranberries
  • 3-4 fresh plums stones removed, chopped
  • 175 g/one cup demerera sugar
  • Grated zest of 2 clementines
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger or half a teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 2-3 tbsp brandy cherry brandy or port

Instructions
 

  • Take a large, wide sauce pan and add your cranberries, plums, demerera sugar, spices, red wine vinegar and brandy or port.
  • Stir together well, bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stir every now and again and make sure it doesn't stick or burn.
  • In the meantime, sterilize your jars by putting them through a dishwasher cycle or by washing them in warm soapy water, rinsing well and placing them in an oven at gas mark 4, 350°F, 180°C, for 5 minutes.
  • Leave to cool slightly and then carefully take out the two whole cinnamon sticks and spoon your chutney into jars.
  • Cover with waxed discs, seal with the lids and label.

Notes

This makes 2 x jam jars of chutney. Once opened store the chutney in the fridge. The chutney will keep for up to six months.

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Tonight, I’m taking part in week 3 of the Booths Cheers Challenge. For the past few weeks, at 7pm, we’ve all been cracking open our bottles and sharing our best tips as well as our wine and beer matches. Today, a bottle of Croft Finest Reserve Port arrived – a little of which went into my chutney, the rest is stashed for Christmas tipples. We also received a very special bottle of Chateau Lagarde Bellevue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2009. I’ll be trying this with my baked Camembert and Christmas Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney. Follow the #BoothsCheers and join me!

Spiced Cranberry and Plum Chutney

Although the cranberries are not in season in the UK, they are in season in America! The plums and clementines were from my fruit bowl, so I’m linking this post up to the super-seasonal Karen who is hosting December’s Simple and in Season at Lavender and Lovage. I promise you November’s round up very soon!

I’m also linking up to December’s festive One Ingredient Challenge hosted by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen which is ginger – I used ginger spice – hope that counts. You could use half a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger in place of the ground!

Ginger

And one more, also linking up one of my photos to the No Croutons Required Christmas special! Thanks Jac.

With many thanks to Booths Country for hosting the #BoothsCheers challenges and for their 12 Days of Christmas parcels

You could also make as gifts –

Rumtopf of Rum Pot with Seasonal Fruit

Pomegranate and Vanilla Vodka

Polish Spiced Christmas Cookies

Have you had any snow this week?

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22 Comments

  1. Thanks so much for linking this wonderful chutney to one ingredient. I reckon I would happily eat this any time of year!

  2. Hi from Canada,
    I live on the Westcoast of Canada, in British Columbia. Near the ocean. We seldom get snow here, but when it does, even a couple of centimetres throws the area (the area we call the Lower Mainland, being the valley close to Vancouver, BC), into chaos. We do not know how to drive in the snow and most of us don’t bother with snow tires on our vehicles. There are so little days of snow it’s hardly worth the expense of winter tires. So, most people don’t even go to work when it snows here.

    Just wanted to say, I do enjoy your blog and look forward to your recipes. I have a Personal Chef business and am always looking for interesting and different recipes to try. Keep cooking and blogging. We in Canada love you.

  3. Yum…I’d certainly give this…but I’d definitely keep some for myself too! Spiced plum and cranberry sounds delicious…I’d love to have this with some cheese and cold meats…perfect with Christmas leftovers! 🙂

  4. Mathilda Murray says:

    What a lovely recipe and nice gift actually! DIY style.
    Maybe you are also interested in more traditional European recipes ? I found a nice Christmasy app where you can receive new recipes everyday until Christmas. Check it out if you are still looking for the right dishes to erve ; )

    https://www.facebook.com/smartcaruk/app_538476539514757?ref=ts

  5. I’m jealous, we are just wet and cold up here in Scotland – no snow in Edinburgh 🙁 I love a good chutney – so versatile and eminently storable, as well as delicious of course. I have a vegan main dish Christmas thingy I am posting soon, and this would be a great counterpoint to its earthiness. Gorgeous images, Ren.

    1. Don’t be Kellie, its all gone now! A few flakes again this morning but it didn’t stick. Coming over to visit your lovely blog now too x

  6. That chutney is such a beautiful colour, sounds like it would be perfect with a nice thick slice of leftover Christmas ham in a sandwich.

    1. It would be perfect for exactly that or leftover turkey 🙂

  7. The colour is gorgeous, I may well substitute some of the damsons I have just strained from my damson gin I think they’d work as well as plums.
    How did it taste with the Camembert? Heavenly I suspect.

    1. Oh wow yes the damsons would be amazing in this, especially alreayd soaked ones! it tasted really good with the hot melted cheese, hope you try it over the festive period.

  8. Wasn’t the snow lovely yesterday while it lasted. It has been freezing here so am wondering if more is on it’s way.
    What a most beautiful colour chutney. I shouts out Christmas to me and I could just dive right in and join you with the baked Camembert. I hope you get to keep this as well as give a jar away.
    BoothsCheers is good fun and I must write up my mini pies post .
    A fabulous One Ingredient entry! xx

    1. Yes it lasted all of one day! Thank you glad you like baked Camembert too! Yes the Booths Cheers has been enjoyable – same time, next week!

  9. No snow here but it has been a bit chilly lately which is perfect for making this chutney I think frozen cranberries might work too. I would love to receive this as a gift.

    1. Chilly even for you? Wow. Yes frozen cranberries would work well too, should have added that in!

  10. Mmmmm, that looks lush Ren. Such a pretty chutney. I didn’t make my Christmas chutney this year. The first time in years I haven’t, so those who usually get it are looking at some fudge or jam I think.

    Oh and would you like to add one of your photos to my festive photo round of No Croutons Required?

    1. Many thanks Jac, have added and linked up! Fudge sounds nice 🙂

  11. it did snow today!… just when we were loading in our logs for the fire… couldn’t be more Christmassy!… much like your stunning chutney… how glorious is that? I need it smothered over some chicken thighs I think x

    1. Good idea Dom, smothered over some chicken thighs would be wonderful. I can smell my baked Camembert…all our snow has melted – just a little dusting!

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