Rachel's Roasted Tomato Chutney is a summer preserve staple that belongs in every larder. Roasting the tomatoes with a whole bulb of garlic and fresh rosemary transforms them into something deeply sweet and intensely flavourful — a far cry from a raw chutney. Dates add a gentle fruitiness, ginger brings warmth, and a splash of vinegar gives it that classic chutney tang. Flexible by design: make it sweeter with equal sugar and vinegar, or sharper by tipping the balance towards vinegar. Gorgeous with cheese on toast, stirred through lentils, spooned over grilled mackerel, or alongside a wedge of crumbled feta. Makes 1–2 x 200g jars and keeps for up to a year.

Ingredients

For the Chutney

• 500g cherry tomatoes, or larger tomatoes cut into 3cm chunks
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 3 dates, pitted
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp garam masala or mixed spice
• ½ tsp nigella seeds (optional)
• A small thumb of fresh ginger
• A pinch of other garden herbs, such as fennel or thyme (optional)
• Approx. 150g sugar (golden caster or brown sugar)
• Approx. 150ml apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
• A pinch of sea salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven: Heat your oven to 200°C / Gas 6.
• Prepare and roast: Remove any green tops from the tomatoes and tumble them into a small roasting tin. Trim the pointy end from the garlic bulb to just expose the cloves, allowing it to sit flat, and nestle it in the centre of the tomatoes. Tuck the rosemary sprigs in on the sides. Roast for 45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are starting to collapse and have released a sticky pool of juices.
• Add the garlic and herbs: Remove the tin from the oven. Squeeze the softened garlic cloves out of their skins directly into the tin with the tomatoes. Pluck out and discard the rosemary sprigs.
• Add the remaining flavourings: Finely chop the pitted dates and stir them into the tomatoes. Grate in the ginger — no need to peel it. Add the coriander seeds, garam masala or mixed spice, nigella seeds, and any additional herbs (finely chop larger leaves like basil). Mix everything together.
• Weigh and add sugar and vinegar: Set a saucepan on digital scales and weigh your tomato mixture. For a sweeter, more traditional chutney, add equal weights of sugar and vinegar to match the tomato mixture weight (e.g. 300g tomatoes = 150g sugar + 150ml vinegar). For a sharper chutney, use less sugar and more vinegar (e.g. 100g sugar + 200ml vinegar for 300g of tomatoes). Add a pinch of sea salt.
• Cook to a jam: Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a rolling boil, stirring regularly. Cook until everything comes together into a thick, jam-like consistency. To test, drag a spoon across the centre of the pan — the mixture should part, then slowly start to come back together. The chutney will thicken slightly more as it cools, so aim for a jammy but pourable consistency.
• Jar and mature: Spoon the hot chutney into sterilised jars, seal, and label. Leave to mature for at least 1 week before opening — it is best after 6 weeks, once the vinegar has mellowed and the flavours have fully come together. Stored sealed, the chutney will keep at room temperature for up to 1 year. Once opened, refrigerate and consume within one month.

Recipe from River Cottage