Ballymaloe Tomato Relish Recipe

This ballymaloe tomato relish recipe gives you a thick, spoon-coating relish with gentle spice, bright vinegar, and actual tomato character. It’s built for sharp cheddar, pork pies, and unapologetically good bread. You’ll peel tomatoes (yes, you will), sweat onions without browning, and reduce patiently until it clings to the spoon. Do that, and you’ll have jars of something that doesn’t need a marketing story to taste right.

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 40

Servings: 6

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Irish

Calories: 48

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

2 kg ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped (weights after trimming are fine)
1 kg onions finely sliced
450 g granulated sugar
450 ml cider or malt vinegar 5% acidity
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds whole
½ tsp ground cloves scant—don’t get cocky
1 tsp paprika
¼ –1 tsp cayenne or mild chili flakes to taste
Optional: ½ tsp cracked black pepper
Yield: ~1.5–1.7 L, roughly 6 × 250 ml jars.

Equipment

Large heavy-based pot (6–8 L) with wide surface
Sharp knife and board
Medium saucepan and bowl for blanching tomatoes
Fine sieve or slotted spoon
Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
Measuring jug and digital scale
Clean jars with lids (pre-sterilized) and a ladle
Optional: spice bag/muslin and funnel

Method

Peel the tomatoes: Score the bases, blanch 30–45 s in boiling water, shock in cold water, slip off skins. Chop, catching all juices. If peeling “feels optional,” enjoy fishing papery flecks from your teeth later.
Start the pot: Put onions, half the vinegar (225 ml), and the salt into the heavy pot. Cook on medium-low, lid ajar, 8–12 min until translucent—not brown. Browning will hijack the flavor; you’re making relish, not onion jam.
Add the rest: Tip in tomatoes (with juices), remaining vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, cloves, paprika, and cayenne. If you’re nervous about spices floating around, tie the cloves in a tiny muslin bag but keep mustard seeds loose for proper “pop.”
Simmer and reduce: Bring to a gentle simmer. Skim foam, then cook uncovered 60–90 min, stirring more often as it thickens. You’re done when a spoon dragged across the pot leaves a track that slowly fills and the relish coats the back of the spoon.
Final seasoning: Taste at the end when acidity and sweetness have concentrated. Adjust salt. If it’s too sharp, give it five more minutes; reduction beats dumping in more sugar. If it’s too sweet, add a splash of vinegar and simmer 2–3 min.
Jar it Ladle hot relish into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ~5 mm headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids, and let cool undisturbed. Store in the fridge. For pantry storage, follow a tested local water-bath process; if you have to guess, don’t.
Mature: Leave it 48 hours before opening. Freshly cooked relish tastes shouty; time smooths it out.

Notes

Texture discipline: If it’s watery, you didn’t reduce enough. Keep simmering; don’t “fix” with cornstarch unless you like gloopy regret.
Tomato choice: Good, ripe, meaty tomatoes beat “heritage circus” varieties that collapse into acid and water. Roma/plum types are boring raw and perfect here.
Spice sanity: Mustard seeds stay whole; ground mustard turns gritty. Clove is a background note—overdo it and you’ve made festive chutney by accident.
Vinegar matters: Use 5% cider or malt vinegar. Fancy balsamic turns this into dessert; white wine vinegar can go thin and shrill.
Serving: Cheddar, cold ham, pork pie, grilled cheese, sausage rolls, or a bacon sandwich if you insist. Don’t drown it in mayo and then complain it’s “subtle.”
Shelf life: In the fridge, unopened jars are happiest for 2–3 months; once opened, aim to finish within 3–4 weeks. Always use a clean spoon—if a jar hisses, leaks, or smells wrong, it is wrong.
Keyword clarity: If you came here hunting a ballymaloe tomato relish recipe, this is the faithful, no-nonsense route. Stick to it and stop improvising halfway.