Bloody mary relish

This started life as one of our limited-edition seasonal products that use only British produce, so we had to source a British vodka. It’s a great relish, which, like its namesake, is a real pick-me-up, with a tasty zing and moreish piquancy all of its own.

Credit: Dan Jones

• makes

  4-6 jars

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

For the spiced vinegar

• 700 ml (3 cups) cider vinegar
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, heaped
• 2 tsp allspice berries
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds, heaped
• 3 dried bird’s-eye chillies or ½ tsp dried crushed chillies

For the relish

• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 500 g celery, finely diced
• 800 g tomatoes, chopped into 1 cm pieces
• 230 g (approximately 1½) Bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1 cm pieces
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Pinch of curry powder
• 200g (1¼ cups) sultanas, roughly chopped
• 150g (¾ cup) raw cane sugar
• 150g (¾ cup) muscovado sugar
• 4 tsp (20 ml) vodka (optional)

Cooling time 30 minutes

Instructions

Make the spiced vinegar by putting the vinegar, peppercorns, allspice, coriander and fenugreek seeds and chillies into a pan, bring to the boil, then remove immediately from the heat. Allow to cool and infuse for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

When the vinegar has cooled remove the spices using a slotted spoon and pour the liquid into a large, heavy-bottomed preserving pan. Add the onion and celery and bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and apples and bring back to the boil for a couple of minutes.

Add the salt, curry powder and sultanas and mix well before gradually adding the sugars. Stir constantly to ensure that the sugars dissolve completely, then bring back to the boil and cook until the desired consistency is reached. Test by running a spoon along the bottom of the pan – if the channel you make doesn’t fill immediately, the relish is ready.

Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka, if using. Spoon into sterilised jars and seal immediately.

Recipe and image from Savoury Preserves by Guy Tullberg & Becky Vale (hbk, $35). Read our review here. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.