October 17, 2026

Chilli Jam

We both love spicy food, though not too spicy for me. I first had chilli jam in a cafe when on a break awayju. It was in a toastie with pesto, and mozzarella. I loved it and have made it ever since. We have loads of tomatoes to eat up this year and have been making lots of passata, and tomato products to help us through the winter. Once all of the essentials are made, we can make treats like chilli jam. I had loads of cherry tomatoes from a bush type that I tried this year from Real Seeds. They are an heirloom variety. This was a good way to use them up. I have made chilli jam with other types of tomato, though and it works just as well. These make a lovely gift in a hamper for Christmas if you are starting to think about frugal presents.

Ingredients

2 tbsp of olive oil

A couple of shallots, or an onion

1 tsp of fennel seeds (optional)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

800g of cherry tomatoes.

3 chillies, chopped finely. I don’t put all of the seeds in so it isn’t too hot.

275g of light brown sugar

250ml of white vinegar

Method

I wash my jars with soapy water and then sterilise with boiling water. If the oven is on I will sterilise them in the oven.
In a large pan I heat the oil over a medium heat and cook the onion or shallots. I like them soft and golden brown and so this takes about 5 minutes.
The chillies, garlic and fennel seeds are then added.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. It starts to smell lovely.
The tomatoes, sugar, and vinegar are then added and the mixture is brought to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about an hour. I often do a double batch that takes longer.
The mixture should be sticky and thick.
Place the mixture into the sterilised jars and leave to cool.
Mine has kept for over a year. The sugar and vinegar content preserve it without water bathing.
Once opened, I would advise to store the jar in the fridge.

We get about 5 jars from a double batch. All my jars are different sizes as they are recycled, but some of them were pound jars. I tend to do some small jars as well to give as gifts to family. I later did a single batch and got these 3 jars. As you can see I use recycled lug lid jars.