What Can I Use Instead Of Cooking Apples For The Christmas Chutney?

Our answer

Nigella's Christmas Chutney (from NIGELLA CHRISTMS) is a seasonal mixture of apples, cranberries and dates. It is a perfect accompaniment for cold cuts and cheese or for a sandwich made from turkey and other leftovers.

The recipe includes cooking apples (Bramleys) as these are sharp and have a good level of pectin, which helps the chutney to thicken. If you can't find cooking apples then a sharp green eating/regular apple is the best alternative and we usually suggest using Granny Smith apples. You should use the same amount of apple, regardless of the type. Granny Smith apples don't break down quite as easily as cooking apples but as the cooking time for the chutney is one hour, this should be plenty of time for the apples to cook to a puree. However, we suggest making sure that you cut the Granny Smith apples into small pieces, to help them to cook quickly.