This is a very special time of year, with a gallon of posh 'cyder' vinegar, a kilo each of currants, mixed dried fruit, six kilos of a couple of types of sugar and more cinnamon sticks than I've even seen in one place before Emma sets about making vast amounts of Christmas Chutney for all our friends and family.
It's amazing how well these gifts go down with everyone we know, although there is one caveat to recieving a jar of this special chutney; if you have any left by Easter we get to claim it back as our own personal stash is well and truely gone by then! The cashew nuts and coffee are for my own gorging enjoyment. We buy bulk from organic wholesale folks Suma, each time a new delivery arrives it's like Christmas, if Christmas was a traditional time to try and find somewhere to store a month's supply of bog roll!
Despite the fact Em has been making Christmas chutney for few years now I still manage to forget that if you take a deep breath while it's all in the preserve pan your nose will disolve and your brain will shivel a little like a pickled walnut, wow it's strong stuff! I'll also be smelling of chutney for the next few days, which I think is kinda homely, but all the local dogs may disagree!
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