Mango Chutney

 This is the many many manyth go at creating the perfectly balanced mango chutney which is nice and sweet but sharp too without tasting too vinegary (Doug doesn’t like vinegar too much)

1kg ripe mangos (weight after peeling and taking the stones out)

500g sugar

3 tblsp vinegar

1 tsp citric acid (or 2 if you like it really sour)

Zest of a lemon grated or chopped small

Juice of a lemon

(I used a seville orange for this batch instead of the lemon)

The spices can vary quite a lot and I tend to just use what I have...

2 tsp turmeric 

1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg

4 cardamoms, 3 star anise, 5 juniper berries, a bit of cinnamon bark, 2 tsp of mustard seeds, 5 cloves all crushed up, not to powder, to kind of reasonable sized bits. You can powder them but the chutney goes more brown and I prefer the look with it orange, you have to pick the bits out as you eat! Alternatively you could boil them for a while in water and then strain the water in to the mango.

Cut the mango in to chunks (I do about 1cm to 1.5cm, but larger or smaller as you fancy). Add the lemon juice and zest and a little water and cook over a low heat until the mango is quite mushy (probably an hour or more). Add a little water if it seems too thick and it might start sticking.

When there are just a few in-tact lumps of mango remaining, add the sugar, citric acid, spices and vinegar. Cook on a slightly higher heat until the remaining lumps go clear/translucent all the way through and the mix is thick. It will set slightly more as it cools, but not like jam so it needs to be quite thick when you stop cooking it.

Put in to clean jars, cool and eat!