Loquat and rose-petal chutney

• By Claire Borg

This will make enough to fill six jars.

You will need:

750g of loquats (washed, deseeded and halved), three large onions (peeled and chopped), three apples (peeled and chopped), two tablespoonfuls of mustard seeds, one teaspoonful each of cardamom seeds, ground ginger and cinnamon, a generous pinch of dried rose petals or 20 fresh ones (coarsely chopped), one tablespoonful of fennel seeds, 1.25 kilos of sugar, one litre of white wine vinegar (6%), 100g of raisins, some olive oil, a knob of butter.

Make sure you know for certain that the roses from which you have taken the petals have not been sprayed with insecticide. Melt the butter into the olive oil in a heavy pan, and in this cook the onion with the spices and seeds, over a medium flame, for around 10 minutes. Now put in all the other ingredients, bring the mixture to the boil and cook it gently uncovered for at least 90 minutes or until the chutney reaches the right consistency. Stir it constantly and make sure that it is bubbling all the while. This is necessary for the liquid to evaporate. To test for the required consistency, place a teaspoonful of the mixture on a cool plate. Leave it for a few minutes and tip the plate to the side. The mixture should slide down as a blob, without trickling. While the chutney is still piping hot, pour it into very hot sterile jars and seal them. This should keep well for at least two years. Once a jar is opened, refrigerate it.