Makes 1 litre
2kg damsons
100g raisins
2 onions
600ml cider vinegar
25g salt
300g Demerara sugar
3 dried chillies
2 cloves of garlic
1 cinnamon stick
1 thumb-sized piece of root ginger
First dice the onion and peel the ginger and chop
into four pieces. Wash the damsons, then place them in a large saucepan with
the raisins, onion, salt, sugar, spices and ginger. Add half the vinegar and
bring to the boil. Simmer for about half an hour until the mixture is soft. Let
the mixture cool a little, then sieve it into a large bowl. Rinse out the pan,
then add the contents of the bowl and the remaining vinegar. Put the pan back
on a low heat and bring to simmering point once again. Allow it to remain this
way, uncovered, for about two hours until it reduces down to roughly a litre.
Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Sterilise your bottle using Milton (I use an old
spring water bottle with one of those ceramic flip caps. Grolsch bottles are
also good). Warm the bottle in an oven
on a low heat before use. Carefully decant the hot ketchup into the warm bottle
and close the lid immediately. Leave to mature for a couple of months before
you start using it.
