Making your own chutney is right up there with jam and breadmaking as a very satisfying and smug way to spend an autumn afternoon. There is no mystery to be unravelled; it’s a simple process of cooking chopped autumn fruit with flavourings and spices, sugar and vinegar to make a rich chutney that will see you through for months.

And it’s the perfect recipe for using up windfalls – just don’t use bruised fruit. This recipe is quite forgiving and once you’ve got to grips with the formula, you can start to ‘play’ with the flavours. An all-apple chutney will work just as well, as will walnuts in place of pecans. In fact, pretty much any combination of vegetables or fruit will work. Spices, too, can be switched, as can the vinegar – a cider vinegar would complement an all-apple chutney beautifully.

But stick to the given weights and method. The sugar and vinegar are essential, too, for that quintessential sharp-sweet flavour and to preserve the chutney. If the jars have been sterilised correctly, they will keep in a cool dark space for more than a year.

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