Red Onion Marmalade

It’s a bit late now to start getting chutneys made up for Christmas – they generally need a good few weeks at least to mature, in fact I usually leave mine for a couple of months, but it isn’t too late to make up a quick batch of sublime red onion marmalade.

This stuff is truly addictive….rich, dark and flavoursome. Try it in a baguette with brie and rocket; with a chunk of mature cheddar and crackers; with Not Sausage Rolls; in a nut roast sandwich or a spoonful with a curry instead of mango chutney…I could go on! Just don’t blame me if you spend a fortune on lovely breads and cheeses to eat it with!

1.5kg red onions, thinly sliced
25g butter
700g light Muscovado sugar
200ml red wine vinegar
250ml red wine
50ml balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme

Put everything into a large heavy based pan, stir well and bring slowly to the boil. Turn the heat down and allow to bubble away gently, stirring occasionally, for at least 2 hours or until the onions are translucent and the liquid has reduced and turned into a gorgeous sticky syrup; no liquid should remain when a channel is drawn across the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon (it may take up to 3 hours). Keep an eye on it and stir a bit more frequently towards the end of the cooking time or it may ‘catch’ on the bottom.

Pot up whilst still hot into hot sterilised jars and try to leave it for a couple of weeks before eating.

Makes 5 medium jars