Unlike chutney, which can take up to three months to mature, relish can be eaten almost as soon as you’ve finished making it. This is great if you want to see a return on your apple harvest straight away. If you want to add it to cheese toasties, cut the fruit, beetroot and walnuts into smaller pieces and cook for a few minutes less. It’s delicious with cheese, washed down with good cider.
Apple, beetroot and walnut relish
Makes about 750g
200ml cider vinegar
300g granulated sugar
2 thick slices fresh ginger
Half a red chilli, seeds in
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 British eating apples, such as Braeburn, diced
1 medium British cooking apple, peeled and diced
250g cooked beetroot, diced
100g walnut pieces
Place the sugar and vinegar in a wide non-reactive saucepan (enamelled cast iron is ideal) and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Add the ginger and chilli and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove them and discard. Add the red onions and simmer for 10 minutes more.
Stir in the apples and beetroot and boil for 10-15 minutes until the fruit is tender and the liquid is syrupy. Stir often near the end of cooking to prevent the relish catching on
the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the walnuts and leave to cool. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight before serving. The relish looks lovely piled high in a smallish bowl and served alongside a generous cheeseboard.
