christmas hamper

Serve this vividly coloured chutney with cheeses and cold meats - great to give as a gift, too

Spiced beetroot & orange chutney

1½ kg raw beetroot, trimmed, peeled and diced (wear gloves!)

onions, chopped

apples,

oranges

tbsp mustard seeds

coriander seed

cloves

cinnamon

red wine vinegar

golden granulated sugar

In a preserving pan or your largest saucepan, mix together all the ingredients well. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 1 hr, stirring occasionally, until the chutney is thick and the beetroot tender.

While the chutney is cooking, prepare your jars by running through a short hot wash in your dishwasher. Or wash thoroughly by hand, then put in a hot oven to sterilise for 10-15 mins. Once the chutney is ready, let it settle for 10 mins, then carefully spoon into the jars and seal while still hot. You can eat it straight away but it will be even better after a month. Will keep for up to 6 months in a cool dark place. Once opened, refrigerate and eat within 2 months.

Roast almonds, Brazil nuts and cashews with spiced flavours then pack up into bags as a homemade gift

Sweet & spicy nuts

sunflower oil

½ tsp mixed spice

mixed nut

tbsp honey

Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Mix the oil with the spices, then stir in the nuts and drizzle over half the honey. Spread over a baking sheet and cook for 10 mins.

Remove from the oven and drizzle over the remaining honey, then return to the oven and cook for a further 10 mins. Allow to cool completely.

These colourful, spiced sweet and sour pickled onions add piquancy to a ploughman’s, or a sharp finish to Mexican food - an ideal edible gift to make ahead and pop in a homemade hamper

Pickled red onions

cider vinegar

golden caster sugar

tbsp sea salt flakes

black peppercorns

coriander seeds

star anise

bay leaf

red onions,

Pour the vinegar into a pan, add the sugar, sea salt, the spices and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. After 1 min, check that the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Boil the kettle. Put the onion slices in a sieve or colander. Pour over the hot water from the kettle and drain well. When cool enough to handle, pack the onion rings into a 500g sterilised jar (see tip below). Pour over the warm vinegar and seal. Cool, then chill and leave to pickle for 2 hrs. Will keep for 6 months unopened, or 2 weeks in the fridge once opened.

Top 3 christmas hamper recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas hamper recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

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Spiced beetroot & orange chutney

Sweet & spicy nuts

Pickled red onions

Top 3 christmas hamper recipes from across the web

The most viewed christmas hamper recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Spiced beetroot & orange chutney

Sweet & spicy nuts

Pickled red onions

The most viewed christmas hamper recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine