Words on Wednesday: making chutney

At this time of year in New Zealand, lockdown or not, the country goes mad for feijoas. The first time you taste one you might wonder what the fuss is about (it is impossible to describe the taste…sort of floral, sort of like…soapy pineapple maybe? But not really. But try a second one, then a third one…and before long you know you have lived in New Zealand for enough time to get excited when you see the first feijoas appear. Originally from South America, these green fruits have established themselves as a firm Kiwi favourite. You can cut them in half and eat them with a spoon, add them to an apple crumble, make cakes, syrups and, of course, chutney.

I have covered making apple and feijoa chutney in previous blog posts over the years, but haven’t actually made any for the last two years. This year, with the enforced home stay, there was no excuse not to make any, and so Sunday saw me settle down to chutney making.

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Apples and feijoas

There are multiple recipes out there for interesting looking chutneys, such as Kylee Newton’s from The Modern Preserver (pictured below) and Kirsten Day’s from In a Pickle both of which add in cayenne pepper for a touch of spice. In the end I plumped for this one, adapting it slightly to match what was in my store cupboard, and adding a teaspoon of curry powder for some bite and which I found worked in the past.

The quantity made three jars full, which will last until the next feijoa season. I taste tested it today with some good cheddar, and deem it to be a reasonable success. The chutney is perfect with cheese, and with cold cuts, as well as in sandwiches.

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