We’ve never had gooseberries before, this is the first year. I suddenly realised that in the UK they are ready to harvest in late June – early July.

Not knowing what I was going to do with them, but equally not wanting to waste them I did a bit of research and decided gooseberry chutney would be the best bet for us.

What I used

For this chutney I used: around half a kilo of fresh gooseberries; half a pint of white wine vinegar; two chopped onions; 300g of California Raisins; a tea spoon of chilli powder; half a tea spoon of ginger; a pinch of salt and three tablespoons of brown sugar.

Method

After topping and tailing and washing the gooseberries, I cooked them in some boiling water for about ten minutes to soften them. I added half a pint of white wine vinegar and some chopped onions and cooked for about another ten minutes. I then added California Raisins, the chilli powder, ginger, a pinch of salt and the brown sugar.

I let it boil and then simmered for about an hour. Once cooled I just popped it in a jar for the fridge.

How it turned out

I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out. The flavours are quite strong which I like in a chutney. Can’t wait to try it with some cheese now.