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Chutneys
Chutney is a combination of fresh, dried fruits and spices preserved for the winter in natures own preservatives, sugar and vinegar. Over the years chutney making has become a factory process and much flavour and variety lost. Crellow chutneys are made in very small batches, in domestic preserving pans and left to mature for two to three months before being allowed out to retailers! Thanks to EU madness we are obliged to tell you to keep it refrigerated once opened and eat before a certain date. For centuries before refrigeration chutney was left in a cool dark cupboard to mature and like fine wine gains much from this process. We would like to give you a best after date, but a combination of Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers prevents us! Relishes
Like Chutney relishes are fruits and vegetables preserved with sugar and vinegar. There is some debate about what sets them apart from chutney! Our view is a relish should consist of one dominant vegetable rather than a mixture, resulting in a specific flavour and colour.
JelliesJellies are another traditional way of preserving fruit. A more complicated process than either chutney or relishes jelly making allows the flavour of wild berries and fruits to be tasted without the hassle of pips, stones or skins. Apple juice provides the base, often made from peelings and cores of apples used in the chutney making. Crellow use no artificial jelling agents or pectin, so the set or stiffness of the jelly varies from batch to batch and from fruit to fruit. |
