Delicious, spicy recipe for Mango Chutney

1. Put on a dark overall as mango juice will stain cotton and spoil white cloth forever.

Sterilise the chutney jars:

2. Wash 10 jam jars and their lids. Make sure they are sparkling clean. Line up the jars, add a teaspoon to each one and add boiled water. Let stand for two minutes. Discard water and place jars on their sides in the bottom oven. Ideally this should be at a temperature of 212º Fahrenheit to sterilize them. Take great care, as if the range is too hot the jars will crack. Once the jars have been at this temperature for 10 minutes, turn the oven off, and leave them in the oven to slowly cool.

3. Boil the lids and a metal funnel with a broad neck. If you do not do this the chutney will go mouldy, which is unpleasant.

Make the chutney:

First open the kitchen windows or they will steam up. Making chutney is hot work.

1. Skin and slice eight mangos, placing chunks in a large bowl. The pip and peel can be given to your chickens. Slices need to be the size of your thumb but small pieces can be included.

2. Cover with one pint of vinegar. We use homemade wine vinegar.

3. Add an 8 oz packet of cane sugar.

4. Dice eight onions. If you do this wearing a mask and snorkel you won’t cry. Add to pan and stir as you go. Discard the skins. Do not retain uncooked onions. They absorb and harbour germs. You can use half an onion to get rid of odours like the smell of dead mice but throw it away afterwards.

5. Find a large pan and make sure it is clean.

6. Heat two tablespoons of oil slowly in this pan. You don’t want it to spit. Add the diced onions.

7. Add a mixture of spices. 4 teaspoons of each of these: chili, cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, turmeric and star aniseed. Cook over a low heat for ten minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Do not be tempted to use a metal spoon as it will spoil everything by leaving a metallic taste.

8. Add the mangoes and their sugar-vinegar mixture to the pan.

9. Cook slowly for a long time, stirring with the wooden spoon to ensure the sugar does not stick to the base of the pan.

10. Make sure the door to the kitchen remains shut as the smell of vinegar will plague the house and cause upset.

11. Once the mango mixture is soft, sticky and most of the liquid has boiled off, leaving a well-incorporated syrup, you can add a cup of sunflower seeds. These add interest and texture to the chutney.

Pot the chutney:

1. Remove jars from oven with a clean cloth.

2. Set the funnel in the first one and spoon in the chutney. Do not over-fill. Repeat.

3. Add a small round of greaseproof paper to each one.

4. Melt the ends of old candles in a tin standing in a pot of boiling water.

5. Carefully pour a little hot wax on the top of the chutney in each jar. This seals them. Turn on metal lids.

6. Wipe sides to remove any stickiness.

7. Write nice labels saying ‘Mango Chutney’ in clear, legible writing and add the date beneath.

8. Store carefully on a shelf.

9. Take care to check the floor when cleaning up. Chutney seems to get everywhere.