Bullace, less well-known today, is a type of plum and was commonly cultivated and used before larger (and sweeter) plums and greengages became preferred. There are a few varieties but the most often seen in British hedgerows is the black bullace – a round dark blue fruit, smaller than a damson and larger than a sloe. They in fact cross-pollinate with sloes and the name derives from the French for sloe.
Armed with a couple of handfuls of bullace and some under-ripe pears from a friend, I made this very simple chutney to go with cheese and meats. The dark skin of the bullace makes for a deep pinky colour.
Bullace and Pear Chutney
Brightly-coloured, tangy and tart, this chutney will go well with strong cheese and white meats.
- September 11, 2019
- 30 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 170g Red Onion
- 350g Pear, slightly unripe, peeled
- 350g Bullace
- Small thumb of Ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 4 cloves
- 1 inch piece of Cinnamon
- 150ml Red or White Wine Vinegar
- 150g Brown Sugar
Directions
- Step 1
- Chop the onion roughly, depending on how chunky you want the chutney to be, and soften.
- Step 2
- Add the pear, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Add a good splash of water, cover and simmer till the pear has only just started to soften.
- Step 3
- Add the bullace, vinegar and sugar. Simmer until you have the desired consistency.
[…] If your foraging leaves you with more damsons (or sloes, or bullace!) than you can use in gin-making, there are lots of other lovely recipes you can try with wild plums. The fruit will keep in the freezer, if you don’t have time to cook and make gin all at once! Damson jam is always a popular recipe, and you can of course make sloe jam and bullace jam as well. But if you fancy something a little more adventurous, why not try this recipe for bullace cheese (not an actual cheese – a set jelly like quince jelly or membrillo, for eating with cheese and crackers) or this one for bullace and pear chutney? […]
Thankyou for the the bullace and pear chutney recipe. I made it with apples I had on hand and it is pretty and delicious. Very excited to identify a bullace tree near my home in Tasmania.
That sounds great, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Bullace is a real treat to forage!