When is chutney not a chutney?…… When it’s a relish, according to the judges at this year’s Chutney Festival at the Tempest Arms in Elslack near Skipton.

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You could have cut the air (and some of the chutneys) with a knife, the tension was that great in the room as the judges made their final deliberations. On the face of it this was a gathering of Yorkshire Dales folk and WI members drinking tea and eating cakes while entering their lovingly created chutney recipes into a friendly competition at the local pub. There was however an underlying serious competition going on as evidenced by the entrants circling the table as lids were put back on jars to signify that they had been eliminated from the final judging.

The judges were Kate Marley (the Naughty Pixie) and a representation from the Calendar Girls. They took their task very seriously and showed great stamina as they worked their way through what must have been around seventy jars of chutney.

Our own representation was left to Ian and his jar of spicy chutney, due to “no shows” by both Chris and Julian from the Breakfast Show. Unfortunately we failed miserably as the entry was rejected from the judging, being dismissed as a relish and not a chutney. We’ll be back again next year though with stronger entries.

The overall winner and winner of the men’s category was Chris Varley, who modestly described himself as “the surprise winner” and claimed his entry to be his first attempt…. we’re not so sure, but as Chris is a local solicitor, we’ll leave it at that.

Present at the festival were Fancy That from Burley in Wharfedale with a fine array of pickles and vinegars on show and for sale, all made in their own kitchen and from local ingredients whenever possible.

The Chutney Festival is now an annual event at the Tempest and it’s organiser, Anne Waddington, tells us that it’s going from strength to strength, so if you fancy having a go, take a look at the Tempest Arms website for more details and get cooking!