This plum chutney recipe is really easy. So easy that even my mum could make it — and given that my mum's idea of exotic cooking was a Vesta curry from a packet, that's saying something.

This spiced plum chutney is one of those recipes that asks very little of you and rewards you generously. One pot, a handful of ingredients, an hour on the hob. The result is a dark, jammy, warmly spiced chutney with a gentle heat from the dried chillies and a deep sweetness from the plums and raisins – or sultanas, depending on what's sitting in the storecupboard.

Plum chutney – The Flexible Chef

I make it in late summer when plums are ripe and plentiful at the local market. A jar of this alongside a curry is a very good thing. I also add a spoonful directly into a curry sauce for extra depth — it dissolves into the base and adds a quiet richness that's difficult to identify but impossible to ignore.

Plum chutney recipe

Ingredients (makes approximately 3–4 jars)

• 1kg red plums, pitted and diced
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 250g raisins or sultanas
• 250g brown sugar
• 2 dried red chillies, flaked — keep the seeds in for a hotter result
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 250ml apple cider vinegar
• 250ml red wine vinegar
• 1 cinnamon stick

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into a large heavy-based pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer gently for about an hour, stirring from time to time. The chutney is ready when it has thickened, the fruit has broken down, and the liquid has reduced to a rich, dark syrup.
3. Leave to cool slightly, then pour into sterilised jars and seal.
4. Store in a cool, dark place. Leave for 4–6 weeks before opening — the flavours mellow and deepen considerably with time. Once opened, keep in the refrigerator.

A note on the fruit

Raisins and sultanas are interchangeable here — use whatever is in the storecupboard. The apple adds gentle sweetness and helps the chutney set; don't be tempted to leave it out. If your plums are very ripe and sweet, reduce the sugar slightly and taste as you go.