The Bakinglady 

This aromatic chutney is my absolute favourite, slathered over a good strong cheddar cheese or dolloped onto Scotch eggs, it's absolutely gorgeous and well worth taking an hour out of your day to knock up a jar or two.... 

What you need...

1 kilo carrots, washed, peeled and grated (I used my food processor for this)

2 onions peeled and finely chopped

 300 ml boiling water

 1 kg soft light brown sugar

 350ml Apple cider or white wine  vinegar

2 tablespoons  lemon juice

 1 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

4 star anise

1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 heaped tablespoon ginger purée or 2" of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated

1 -2 teaspoons salt

What to do....

Pour the oil into a large  saucepan and turn the heat to medium high, add the grated carrot , onion, chopped garlic , star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and coriander seeds , stir to coat in the oil.

Cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally- it will make a gentle  sizzling sound

Meanwhile,  place your washed clean jars in a hot oven (70 C) to sterilise them.

Add the  water to the vegetables along with the vinegar and lemon juice , bring back to the boil then simmer gently for a further 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft and break easily when pressed with a spoon against the side of the pan.

Add  the  sugar and stir  until it is thoroughly dissolved

Bring to a hard boil for 6 minutes (stirring occasionally - be really careful, it's like molten lava at times whilst cooking) until the liquid is almost all gone and the chutney is thick and unctuous . Add a teaspoon of salt then check the seasoning - Adding a little more if necessary

Carefully spoon or ladle  the chutney into the hot jars

Place the lids on immediately and leave to cool.