Sloe Chutney

1kg sloes
2 chopped onions
1 chopped chilli
450g brown sugar
225g seedless raisins
1 stick cinnamon
1 teaspoon whole cloves
300 ml malt vinegar

Wash sloes and put into a pan, cover tightly and cook on a low heat until realy soft. Pass through a sieve.

Add the spices to the puree and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil, stirring well until the sugar has dissolved . Simmer gently for 30 minutes. Pot and seal. Store at least two months before use. A pleasant, mild chutney.

I made about 6 small jars with this recipe and it was a lovely tasty chutney to have with left over cook turkey.

Sloe gin

If you are lucky enough to have this wonderful fruit in your garden you can make yourself some sloe gin. This is the recipe I use, there are loads of variations

I use the empty litre water bottles to soak the sloes.

Fill half full with washed and pricked sloes (I use a fork to stab each sloe)
A wine goblet of sugar (add this to a jug and then top up with gin)
Mix round and then add to the sloes.
Top up to nearly the top with Gin.
Give the bottle a good shake and then leave. Each day shake the Gin. The sugar should dissolve quite quickly. Leave for about 3 months and then decant into a clean bottle. Don't leave the berries in for more than 6 months.

Enjoy!