Blatjang

Step 1: Put 9 oz dried apricots and 1 ¾ oz seedless raisins in a bowl, pour over 1 ½ cups white wine vinegar, cover and leave for at least 2 hours, or overnight at room temperature, until the fruit is plump.

Step 2: Wash two 350 ml jars and their lids in hot soapy water, rinse, then stand them upright in a 250°F oven for 15 minutes to sterilise. Leave them there until the chutney is ready.

Step 3: Tip the soaked fruit and its vinegar into a heavy, non-reactive saucepan. Add 1 cup water, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, ⅞ oz fresh ginger, 1 tsp dried red chilli flakes and 1 tsp coriander seeds.

Step 4: Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, then lower to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring now and then, until the apricots are soft enough to squash with a spoon against the side of the pan.

Step 5: Stir in 5 ½ oz brown sugar and 1 tsp salt until the sugar dissolves.

Step 6: Simmer over a low heat, stirring more often as it thickens so the bottom does not catch, until a spoon dragged across the base leaves a clear trail for a second or two before the chutney closes over it.

Step 7: For a smooth blatjang, blend it with a stick blender or mash it hard with a potato masher; leave it as it is if you like it chunky. Taste and add a pinch more salt or chilli if it needs it.

Step 8: Spoon the hot chutney into the hot jars, filling to 1 cm below the rim, and screw the lids on straight away. Once cool, keep in the fridge and use within 2 months; once opened, use within 3 weeks with a clean spoon.