Whitebeam and pear chutney

Name: Whitebeam and pear chutney
Total time: 14 d 1 h 30 min
Yield: ± 3 jars of 250 ml
Ingredients: 500 g whitebeam berries; 100 ml water; 2 onions, finely chopped; 2 firm pears; 150 ml cider vinegar; 120 g brown sugar; 1 teaspoon mustard seeds; 2 cm fresh ginger, grated; 1 teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Updated on 9 October 2026

Makes: ± 3 jars of 250 ml
Time: 1½ hrs + 2 weeks maturing
From: Whitebeam

Ingredients

500 g whitebeam berries
100 ml water
2 onions, finely chopped
2 firm pears
150 ml cider vinegar
120 g brown sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 cm fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chilli flakes

Method

Pick the berries after the first night frost, or leave them in the freezer for 2 nights. Strip them from the stalks and rinse them.
Simmer the berries with the water, covered, for 15 min until soft. Press them through a coarse sieve to remove the skins and pips.
Peel the pears and cut them into 1 cm cubes.
Put the berry purée, onions, pears, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, ginger, salt and chilli flakes in a wide pan.
Simmer gently for 40–50 min, stirring regularly, until the chutney is thick and a spoon leaves a trail across the bottom.
Spoon the hot chutney into clean, sterilised jars, close them and stand them in a pan of boiling water for 10 min.
Leave the chutney to mature for 2 weeks before opening a jar.

Storing: Unopened, 6 months in a cool, dark place; once opened, in the fridge and eat within 1 month. Never eat whitebeam berries raw, only cooked. Good with cheese, game or roast meat.