The Perfect Pickle

Well, this weekend while many of you were hitting the lights, the music, the fancy side of town, I was in the kitchen peeling and chopping the bountiful produce of my In Law's garden. Nine pounds of green tomatoes - yes nine! along with beautiful brown onions lovingly plaited and apples from our own trees (did you hear the bristle of pride there...). Why? Making chutney of course!

Here's my recipe if you're interested ....although I must warn you I spent two solid days in the kitchen surrounded by pieces of peelings and the house smelling like a pickle factory.

1 pint of pickling malt vinegar

3 lbs green tomatoes, chopped

2 lbs cooking apples, peeled and chopped

1 lb onions, chopped

1/2 lb sultanas

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 tsp salt

1 - 2 inch piece of fresh ginger - grated

1 3/4 lb demerara sugar

Put all ingredients apart from the sugar into a jam pan, bring to the boil, simmer gently for 20 mins then add sugar, stir until dissolved. Stir occasionally for the next hour or two until thick and pulpy. Put into warm sterilised glass jars and leave to mature a month or so before making your cheese and chutney sandwiches. 

This is an old traditional recipe out of the Perfect Pickle leaflet that my Mum gave me about 15 years ago ....don't know why I kept it but glad I did. I think it was the title that did it for me - sounds a bit like life really.....

What's this got to do with Salon du Savon? I hear you say  

Well believe me - if it wasn't for our fantastic Home Perfumes Verbena, Lavender and Olive, Cinnamon and Orange to mention a few our home would still be stinking now!