Runner beans are some of the easiest vegetables to grow at home. The more you pick, the more you get, so in peak season it’s almost impossible not to end up with a glut of runner beans.
It’s a shame, then, that people often dismiss them as old fashioned, better suited to nostalgic village shows than the modern cook’s kitchen. Some find them stringy, furry and a bit tasteless, too. In my experience, this only happens when they are grown with size and straightness in mind. These specimens might be more likely to win the village show prize, but they won’t be the best to eat.
Instead, pick runner beans young and no more than 20cm long. This is when they are sweet, crunchy and versatile – great for salads, stews, even charred on the barbecue. But catching them while they’re young means regular picking and that, inevitably, means you end up with a bucketful of runner beans that need using up.
This easy runner bean chutney does just that. It has old-fashioned vibes – when I preserve a classic allotment staple like this, I feel I’m maintaining the traditions of allotment life as well as using up the glut in a satisfying way. I’m never going to win the village show prize for the longest runner beans, but I will have a cupboard full of traditional runner bean chutney to see me through winter.
How to make runner bean chutney
Makes approximately 2.5kg
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1.2kg runner beans
- 3 large white onions chopped
- 700ml white wine vinegar
- 400g light brown soft sugar
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tbsp mustard seeds
- ½ tbsp English mustard powder
- 1 tbsp nigella seeds
- 65g cornflour
Method
- Trim the ends of the beans and gently pull away any stringy bits on the sides (although you shouldn’t have stringy bits if you harvest young beans). Cut diagonally into ½cm pieces. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the beans for around 2-3 mins, depending on how young they are, to soften them slightly. Drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water, leave to cool for 5 mins, then drain and set aside.
- Put the pan back on the hob and cook the onions in 350ml of the vinegar over a medium-low heat for 15 mins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and 250ml of the remaining vinegar and cook for 2 mins more.
- Combine the turmeric, mustard seeds and powder and nigella seeds with the cornflour, a good pinch of salt and the remaining 100ml vinegar. Mix well, then tip into the onion mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 3 mins to thicken, then add the beans. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 mins, stirring regularly until the beans are tender but have a slight bite and the chutney has thickened slightly.
- Remove from the heat and decant into sterilised jars
This recipe was created by Samuel Goldsmith from our friends at Good Food.
Serve with
This chutney will keep sealed in a cool, dry place for several months, so I like to give it as gifts in autumn. Make sure you label it and mention any allergens (such as mustard). Once open, it will keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Its gentle curry heat and sweetness make it a great finishing flourish for pilaf, biryani, kedgeree or any spiced rice dish. It’s also delicious with poppadoms.
Try stirring a spoonful into a curry too. It’s my secret hack for transforming a sauce and making the flavour deeper.
My other hack with this chutney is to make a speedy salad dressing by finely chopping a spoonful of chutney and mixing it with olive oil. Perfect to dress crunchy Cos lettuce leaves.
Runner bean chutney is a must on an autumn cheeseboard and turns a plain cheese sandwich into a feast. Try this ploughman’s sandwich from our friends at Good Food.
