As a child of the 50s, I can clearly recall the acrid scent filling our kitchen each autumn whilst my mother was cooking homemade chutneys which would keep us going through the winter.
Older and more sophisticated now, I spend much of December at Farmer’s Markets and expensive London shops trying to recreate the taste of my childhood in readiness for Christmas.
I am happy to report that my search is now over and that I have discovered, Tracklements Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney which adds tangy sweetness to crumbly cheeses, a variety of vegetable recipes, sliced meats and sandwiches and brings joie de vivre to crispy-skinned, roasted duck breasts. It’s also remarkable with poppadoms, onion bhajis and with any curry you fancy.
Tracklements NEW Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney is made with rhubarb gathered rather closer to home, from a family farm in Norfolk. Delicately pink, the tart, intensely fruity rhubarb, is gently balanced with warm ginger, sweet sultanas and carefully selected aromatic spices including nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice.
A native of north and central Asia, rhubarb has been celebrated for its medicinal qualities for millennia. The seventeenth century. English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, claimed that it heals jaundice and helps gout, sciatica and toothache.
Little wonder then that rhubarb powder was once worth more than opium.
A store cupboard hero this Chutney is still hand made in the green heart of Wiltshire, abiding to traditional recipes, with an underpinning principle to buy the best quality ingredients sourced locally wherever possible to ensure the products taste as good as, if not better than homemade.
I would never dream of telling my mother, but I actually prefer Tracklements NEW Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney does that make me a bad son?
Tracklements Special Edition Rhubarb & Ginger Chutney RRP £3.75 for 200g, is available from fine food delis and farm shops nationwide and online at www.tracklements.co.uk
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