Have yourself a berry little Christmas! (or a plum one if you prefer)

In a bit of a jam about what to give this festive season? Don't get yourself in a pickle - make some instead! This year I plan to have a creative Christmas and a handmade Chanukah!

That's right. I'm all about personalised, homemade gifts this year.

Over the years, my family and friends have bourne the brunt of my jewellery making experiments - but this Chanukmas (because in my house, we do the fun bits of both!), I plan to take personally made presents that step further.

Plum-tastic!
We've had a glut of delicious, juicy plums in our garden.

After eating my body weight in plums and inflicting bags of the fruit on all and sundry, I've decided to try out this Spicy Plum and Apple Chutney recipe from BBC Good Food. Because chutney is the savoury (or in my case, unsavoury) person's answer to jam!

Think mature cheddar, gooey Camembert, zingy, stinky Stilton, served up with a healthy dollop of chutney, crusty bread and a big glass of red. I can see your mouth drooling now!

So I made an enormous batch of chutney, using plums from the garden and apples from my parents as well as blackberries I picked in the neighbourhood (because I can't seem to stick to a recipe without going slightly off piste!). You can't say much more locally sourced or organic than that! 

The kitchen reeked of vinegar, star anise and syrupy fruit - but it was a good kind of pong! Admittedly things got a bit out of hand when the pot bubbled over and gloop seeped under the ignition to our gas stove and erm... slightly knackered the ignition switch (hello matches!).

I bought some pretty Kilner presentation jars and sterilised them before filling them with chutney.

Handmade hamper
If you're sold on preserving the festive spirit in this way, how about a handmade hamper? The sky's the limit - there are numerous free recipes out there for other homemade goodies to accompany your chutney, such as fudge, tiffin, Christmas cake, jam - you name it! I won't reveal too much more about my plans as I've already given a lot away (just in case any of my victims - er recipients - are reading this)!

Patience is not my best virtue - but hopefully my experiments into chutney will prove a success. The most important ingredient in any chutney is time. I won't know for sure if I've made a delicious damson delight or committed crimes against condiments until Christmas time, when the vinegar should have mellowed out enough for the chutney to be consumed. But at least it will look pretty!