Let’s Make Christmas Pickles, Chutneys, Jams & More!

I love the idea of giving homemade gifts for Christmas. I’ve come across the mentality that homemade is second best; I know people who judge on monetary value and assume that shop-bought, established brands are always better than amateur efforts. Homemade to these folks is about thrift or stinginess or rose-tinted nostalgia, if they’re being ... Read more »

A Rather Unusual Job Interview + Pear & Ginger Chutney Recipe

Green & Black’s Head of Taste, Micah Carr-Hill, is looking for a Taste Assistant. The winning candidate will support Micah in the development of new Green & Black’s products – sourcing ingredients from all around the world, working with marketing on the development of ideas, developing kitchen samples, scaling small trials to factory scale and ... Read more »

Guest Post: Mango, Date & Chilli Chutney by Gareth Groves

Gareth Groves is an ex-Chef turned wine merchant who is now Communications Manager at Bibendum. His best man once described him as a man who uses breakfast as an opportunity to think about lunch. Part of his job is to manage social media for Bibendum, so he spends a bit of time on twitter, where ... Read more »

Lipsmacking Tamarind Ketchup

Tamarind Ketchup

My family call this sauce imli (tamarind) chutney. The word chutney comes from the Hindi chaatni which describes a tangy condiment that makes you lick your lips at it’s flavour! Although the verb chaatna means to lick I think lipsmacking is a better translation.. I refer to it as a ketchup or sauce because I’ve ... Read more »

Jamming With Carla!

Somehow, in the space of less than a year, I’ve transformed into an earnest WI type before my own eyes. That’s not an insult to Women’s Institute members – I think local social clubs offering talks, cookery demonstrations, craft workshops and cake cook-offs are actually pretty cool*. But I have in mind here the (no ... Read more »

Green Tomato & Raisin Chutney

Having made jam (and marmalade, pickles, chutneys and ketchups) for the first time ever in August, I’ve really caught the preserving bug. And it’s proving to be a perfect way to use and store our home-grown vegetables. We planted our tomatoes out a little late this year so, although the yield has been fantastic, most ... Read more »

Mango & Lime Jam

It’s always nice when friends show both imagination and an understanding of what you’re about when choosing gifts for you, so I was touched by the gift of a box of 6 fat red-green mangoes as part of an anniversary present last weekend. (Don’t worry, these friends know us both well, the present included a ... Read more »