Boris has finally revealed his Christmas chutney recipe:
Boris homemade chutney
Ingredients: Apple, raisins, vinegar, sugar & onion.
Method: All in a pan. Cook till ready. Eat
In true Boris style there are no indications as to cooking times or quantities. Enjoy and good luck friends!
The Mayor’s chutney sounds gorgeous, with the simplicity of genius. I give below another chutney recipe, in case people like more detail as to how to proceed. The timings and procedures are probably similar.
MADHUR JAFFREY’S APPLE, PEACH AND APRICOT CHUTNEY.
Apple, peach and apricot chutney. Method 1. Combine all the ingredients in a heavy stainless steel or porcelain-lined pan and bring to the boil. Turn heat to medium-low and cook, keeping up a fairly vigorous simmer, for about 30 minutes or until you have a thick, jam-like consistency. Stir frequently and turn the heat down slightly when the chutney thickens as it could stick to the bottom of the pan.
2. Let the chutney cool. It will thicken some more as it cools. Pour into a clean jar and cover with a non-metallic lid. Store in a cool place or keep in the refrigerator.
How finely you chop your ingredients depends if you like a chunky result or a smoother chutney.
Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! the magic recipe! Feels like getting the golden ticket
Melissa
It is always best to sterilise the jars with hot water.
The Mayor has over 18,000 followers on twitter! And he hardly ever says anything either. 18,000 people are waiting breathlessly.
Boris clearly knows nothing about chutney-making because chutney needs loads of spices and garlic. And no-one would dream of eating it immediately after its cooked because it needs to be put away in a dark cupboard for at least a year after which it improves the longer its kept..
We have suffered agonies waiting for this recipe and have been the butt of cruel jests.
Serves: Makes about 750ml Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min Ingredients
550g sour cooking apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
100g dried Peaches, quartered
100g Dried apricots
50g sultanas
6 cloves Garlic, peeled and mashed to a pulp
2 x 2.5 cm cubes Ginger, peeled and finely grated
400ml white wine vinegar
400g caster sugar
2 tsp Salt
0.5 tsp cayenne
The above are the ingredients for Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe.
You could adapt for Boris’s recipe, but it gives an idea of quantities.
Simple chutneys are often the best, which is why the Mayor’s is worth trying.
Bella, I’m not so sure about the leaving for ‘at least a year’ – especially in modern kitchens – and would favour leaving three months and eating within about 18. I do, however, guess Boris was a bit economical with the ingredients here and has a handy family chutney pan that he just fills until it looks about right then adds the essential spices raiding the cupboard for whatever seems right on the day to suit the type of apple. Cinnamon stick, cloves, chili, black pepper, turmeric (for added colour), ginger or allspice for depth, a few juniper berries… Am hungry so must stop!
MMmm Gill that sounds really good.
Marco Pierre White says it is best to cook by instinct anyway. He is such a good teacher.
HANNDY TIP.
If you have a lot of left over dried fruit that has dried ut a tiny bit too much, put it in your chutney. It makes brilliant chutney and you can follow the Madhur Jaffrey receipt above. Alternatively you can add it to Boris’s classic recipe.
ANOTHER TIP.
I should think that Boris uses white wine vinegar because other vinegars are too harsh. will check this out for readers.
When you have filled your jars with the chutney, cut out neat circles of greaseproof paper, lay these on top of the chutney mixture, and seal your jars. Pop into the fridge for 3 months for the flavour to develop.
Hmmm. Looking at this recipe it seems that the great man is holding back certain secrets vital to the creation of the *true* Boris chutney.
Whether this is due to economic self-interest (“A Very Boris Christmas” – precidated Amazon bestseller in late 2009), or because he feels that each maker should impart their own personal touch upon the chutney (“Like enlightenment, one must find one’s own path to chutney”) is yet to be revealed.
Then again: “It’s the mystery that endures; not the explanation.”
Shopping tip: the Sainsburys white sauce with wine is gorgeous and saves a lot of time. Add fresh herbs and enjoy on prawn pancakes.
Justin King, you are a brilliant retailer. I wanted to buy the reusable toastabags for tosted sandwiches in the toaster. This a fairly new, unusual product, but my local Sainsburys (Camden) had it! if you love cooking, Sainsburys is the store for you. Best choice of foreign spices and ingredients by a mile.
Sounds like a great recipe. I would personally stick to the Boris Original, simple, unpretentious and satisfying!
I used to work in the Camden Town Sainsburys when it opened in 1988, but always try to avoid Sainsburys these days due to the culture of bullying that existed then and still seems to exist among management.
I don’t personally like Justin King and prefer simple and unprentious recipes & maybe pricing schemes that don’t remind me in some way of say, dictators that we defeated over sixty years ago, every little helps!
Arnold, it is a great recipe I have tried it. I would recommend longer cooking time than that specified by Madhur jaffrey. At least one hour. AT LEAST.
You are speaking from experience regarding Sainsburys – in my local store, Camden, the girls seem happy and work as a team.
I do know a very well known supermarket chain of stores, where the most horrible bullying goes on and the staff are encouraged to inform on each other. Horrible.
Hi Angela, I’ve yet to make a chutney, but Boris has certainly planted a seed on which to start with the basics and then progress from there.
I’m genuinely glad that the girls in Sainsburys are happier these days. To Mr King’s credit, he has created an environment that in terms of produce, authentically ‘bats for all sides’ if you like – and it’s certainly good for those with a higher budget for food.
I still live in Camden just a mile away!
Kind Regards,
This topic has received more commentaries and interest than any I can remember!
Hi Arnie! Yes the Camden girls are a happy bunch and darn good customer they give too! They are are bunch of sweetie pies, so friendly and happy to help.
A great store.
“customer service” I mean.
Franz, food is a very interesting subject.
Six neatly labelled jars of chutney in my fridge. I’m such a hausfrau.
If the Mayor had any more recipes, he could market them for charity for underprivileged kids and his loyal followers could put it into operation for him.
One is reminded of old sayings about sausages and laws.
If the Mayor is not inspiring us with his speeches, he is inspiring us to make chutney! Went on a hugely enjoyable chutney making jag yesterday, while simultaneously watching the rugby and winding up my partner and his little mates (JOKE) that Tindal has no handling skills. HUGE HUGE FUN.
Tindall HAS no handling skills and he lumbers! (they like Tindall).
I have made the Classic BJ Chutney, Spiced Apple and Onion with ginger, then progressed to Apple, Plum, Mango and Cranberries (the last three were dried fruit) with cayenne and coriander. Used Dufrais Sauvignon Blanc White Wine Vinegar.
Have just made a batch of Apple and Fig with ginger and a dash of cayenne. Jars all properly sterilised, circles of waxed paper, and neatly labelled.
Love a project I can get enthusiastic about. That is why David Cameron and the Mayor are the politicians for me. David Cameron’s popularity is at an all time high.
“Cynicism is for cowards.” La Rochefoucald. (I lie, it was me!)
Guys…. Jerry Guscott said Mike Tindall has no handling skills….. OK he is good when he is barging through.
These dreadfully rude celebrity cooks are getting their come upppance. There is a backlash against all the bullying and swearing, so the time is right for a charming cook with lovely manners to grace our screens. How funny would that be, Boris cooking his own chutney. I bet David Cameron can cook as well.
Chris
>Then again: “It’s the mystery that endures; not the explanation.”
Therein lies the challenge!
W.T.F.!!-just go to Tsco and get a bottle of their finest.
I realise Boris can’t be seen to be flaunting Health and Safety regulations but I insist that you can eat chutney years after it was made and it certainly doesn’t need to be kept in the fridge. I’ve just had a cheese sandwich that was all the more delicious for being smeared with Plum and Apple Chutney made in August 2003.
Bella, I keep my in a cool cupboard. Six years is pushing it, but if you say it is ok….
Catherine: six years in a North-facing old-fashioned pantry, I agree. Six months in a high-rise flat-let, no matter how deluxe – probably not!
Is it me or is this turning into the WI?
Nothing wrong with the WI! Cooking is so fulfilling and relaxing. And Boris did start it.
Indeed, Catherine: would not dare to say there is anything wrong with the genuinely esteemed and useful WI. Just saying that Boris’s site perhaps has an extended focus 😉
Special Chutney Recipe:
Ground pork, garlic, vodka, a jar of shop-bought Chutney.
Fry ground pork with bit of cooking oil, garlic and vodka until cooked. Open jar of chutney and add to pork.
Very simple and ideal for a family of one husband and four wives with 20 kids who are all on social benefits handouts.
Do we have to wait three months to eat Boris’s chutney, I fancy some now! (I hasten to add, I have been dieting really well lately and have lost weight!! Three pounds this week already, not too bad!)
I tried making the chutney and found it rather bland – unlike the man himself. It was an interesting challenge to make something edible out of it. I like a challenge and look forward to his next recipe.
@angela: I have just started making chutney; in fact I can only do 1 type; and i LOVE making it. Have given jars to my family and neighbours and they have all come back saying they would like more. I am searching internet to see who has made business out of chutney making but can find no-one. Angela – you sound as though you know what you’re talking about – do you make chutney lots or are you qualified chef? Would love to do more research and perhaps make business one day! Optimistic I know but the sky is the limit. I have 2 young boys and am looking for something to do when they are in bed …. can’t do it through the day as it’s impossible. Know you wrote these comments a long time ago but would really appreciate any advice …. yours, the novice!
Rona, I am a chutney junkie! I think, because it is easy to make, and very tasty, you get such a huge sense of satisfaction when you fill your neat jars with gooey delicious chutney. My favourite at the moment is lemon , lime and ginger, the fruit pieces carmelise deliciously.
I don’t know that my finished result is of high enough a quality to actually sell! My friends love it and it goes down well at home, but the result is never the same, which for me is fine, but not if I was selling it.
I think I am happy to keep my chutney making as a hobby, I am not a qualified chef, but thank you so much for your kind suggestions.