3.5 kilograms ripe tomatoes, chopped

3 onions, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 cups malt vinegar

3 cups raw sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons pickling spice

muslin cloth or similar

Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, vinegar and salt in a large pan.

Place the pickling spice in a square of muslin or similar and tie it closed with kitchen string. Add the muslin bag of pickling spice to the pan.

Bring the tomato mixture to the boil.  Add sugar and stir in well.  Boil it steadily, stirring occasionally for 2 ½ hours. Discard the muslin bag of pickling spice.

Press the mixture through a sieve to remove the tomato seeds and skins (you’ll only have a little bit left in the sieve each time). Return the sauce to the pan and boil it for a further 5 minutes.

Pour the sauce through a funnel or ladle it carefully into sterilised* jars or bottles while it’s hot and seal them. Store in a cool, dark place away from sunlight until you’re ready to use them.

*Sterilised means putting clean jars into an oven at 100°C for 15 minutes. I put the lids in a pot of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.