Ever since I was a child I’ve found it impossible to eat curry without mango chutney. We have curry often as my four drawers of spices attest. However, this delicious sweet, spicy & sometimes hot chutney is only to be found in the ‘exotic’ section of the occasional supermarket here. For anyone British it’s a hangover from our shameful colonial past, so it’s unsurprising that it hasn’t found its way to French dining tables.

Frustrated by not having a reliable supply, I set to researching the best mango chutney recipes and this is the one I find myself making time and again. I’m a big fan of CrowdFarming and was thrilled to see that I could buy really good mangoes direct from the grower when they were in season. Alas, that moment has passed for this year, but there are still mangoes to be found in supermarkets. My mangoes came from our adopted mango tree. It is cared for by Antonio who is the CrowdFarmer at "Arroyo de la Huerta" in Vélez-Málaga (Spain).

The mangoes are huge and smell absolutely delicious, weighing in at around 500g each. They arrived unripe so I’ve stored them for around two weeks and last night I made another batch of chutney. 3.5 kilos in total and enough to last for a few Indian banquets.

Mango Chutney

What’s in it?

2 tablespoon cooking oil

4 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely minced

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 red chilli, sliced

4 teaspoons whole nigella seeds

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 mangoes (about 500 grams each), peeled and diced

4 cups organic granulated sugar

2 cups cider vinegar

How’s it made?

Heat the oil over medium-high in a large saucepan. Sauté the ginger, garlic and red chillies for a minute. Add the spices and sauté for another minute. Add the diced mangoes, sugar, salt, and vinegar and stir to combine. Bring it to a rapid boil and reduce to medium-low. Steady simmer for 1 hour. If you prefer smaller chunks, use a potato masher to mash the mixture to the desired consistency.

Pour the hot mixture directly into sterilised jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes. It will keep for at least a year. Alternatively just put the sealed jars in the fridge and use the chutney within six months.

I love it with cheese or quiche too. If I’m right out of curry that is.