Chutney and cheese spirals

These deliciously ugly chutney and cheese spirals were inspired by my recent trip to the BBC Good Food Show in London, which I was invited along to by a cheese company called Barber’s (can you think of anything more perfect for me? A cheese company inviting me to a food event… heaven!).

The event was pretty amazing – hundreds and hundreds of stalls selling all sorts of products, mostly by small independent sellers, which was really nice to see! There were also plenty of free samples, which is always a plus (who am I kidding, it’s the main selling point).

It all took place in the London Olympia which, if you don’t know, is enormous. Literally just one absolutely huge room. What you can see in this photo is probably about a third of the downstairs – plus there were stalls all around the mezzanine too!

It took hours to get round every stall, but luckily my husband was very accommodating and didn’t complain too much (though being handed free samples of gin at every turn probably helped).

While I was at the Good Food Show, I made sure to stop by and say hi to the Barber’s guys, since they were the reason I was there! They’ve been making cheese at their farm in Somerset since 1833, and although the farm is now run by the sixth generation of the family, they still use traditional cheese-making methods alongside more modern methods.

The World Cheese Awards had taken place the day before, and a Barber’s cheddar had placed third. That’s right – the third best cheese in the world (and the very best of all the cheddars!). Third best, out of all of these:

(and that’s only about half of the cheeses that were judged! If only my phone camera had smell-o-vision…)

I wasn’t able to try the exact cheese that placed third (it had been sitting out for a couple of days!), but I did take home a huge slab of Barber’s 1833 vintage cheddar, which is matured for at least 24 months to make it extra rich. If you like mature cheddar, you have to try this cheese – it’s so tangy, and crumbles at your fingertips! Seriously melt-in-the-mouth, and just perfect for a recipe like these chutney and cheese spirals.

When your recipe only has 3 ingredients, it’s pretty important to use good quality ones…

These chutney and cheese spirals couldn’t be quicker to make. Spread your chutney on the puff pastry (or use pizza dough if you prefer), sprinkle with cheese, and roll. Do them all as one big log, then just slice it into chunks – it’s so simple!

They don’t look like the prettiest things ever before you bake them… but then, they don’t look that pretty when they come out of the oven either. But it’s okay, because the flavour makes up for it!

I probably went a little heavy on the chutney (some of them were more like splurges than spirals), but in the end it turned out to be a blessing in disguise – have you ever tried chutney that’s splurged out onto a baking tray and begun to caramelise?

Oh my.

Of course, you can use whatever chutney you fancy – I used a mixed fruit chutney that’s pretty much just an apple chutney with sultanas in it. Apples and cheddar are a match made in heaven, so it worked really well! I can’t quite tell whether these chutney and cheese spirals feel more sweet or more savoury, but serve them as a canapé and you’ll never need to decide.

• Chutney and cheese spirals Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche Recipe type: Snack Serves: 10 Ingredients
• Flour for dusting 150g puff pastry 3tbsp chutney 60g cheddar cheese, grated Instructions

Lay out a sheet of baking paper, and flour it lightly. Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle on the floured paper (I used a pre-rolled sheet, but still rolled it out a little thinner). Spread the chutney across the pastry, and sprinkle over most of the cheese - just hold back a couple of tablespoons. Using the baking paper to help, tightly roll the pastry, then cut the roll into 1 inch chunks (I ended up with around 10 pieces). Place them on a lined baking tray, and bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve hot or cold. 3.2.2807

Disclosure: I was gifted a free ticket to the BBC Good Food Show by Barber’s but was not otherwise compensated for this post. All opinions are my own.

Love one-bite canapés? My Boursin stuffed mushrooms in chilli garlic butter are a must-try!