Nici Wickes’ top recipes for preserving fruit

Nici Wickes’ peach and kaffir lime chutney makes a great pairing for seafood, such as crumbed fish, or try it with sticky pork or other Asian-inspired dishes like soy chicken

I used to think plum jam was a bit ordinary so I started experimenting and came up with this stunning recipe. It’s loaded with lavish amounts of good-quality vanilla and now it’s one of my favourite jams to make… and eat!

This knockout red pepper and tomato relish is incredibly delicious and versatile and great served alongside chicken or pork, or ever enjoyed as a tasty pizza topping!

A common ingredient in Moroccan and some Middle Eastern cuisines, preserved lemons add a wonderfully complex citrus note to both sweet and savoury dishes. They can be expensive to buy, yet they’re so easy to make. Photography by Todd Eyre

Nici Wickes’ mum has taken the kasundi recipe from Nici’s second cookbook Cook, Eat, Enjoy and made it with plums instead of tomatoes. It’s a fabulous staple to have on hand in the pantry

This lemon chutney by Nici Wickes goes so well with a hearty curry but is also fabulous to have with cheese and crackers

The trick to bottling any fruit is to do it in small batches so that it remains a manageable and fun job! Try Nici Wickes’ tasty combinations

Once you try this beetroot and apple relish, you’ll never have apple sauce with your roast pork again! And it makes an attractive gift as it’s got such a gorgeous glossy purple colour

I never add sugar when bottling peaches (or other summer fruit) as they have enough natural sugar in them. By using the easy overflow method to preserve, they last just as well without the sugar. Buy a case online from one of the orchards in Central Otago, then set aside an hour or so in summer to preserve half a dozen jars.

I love the way Mum and her friends have swapped recipes over the years when their gardens are overflowing with produce that needs using up. This chutney recipe comes from Mum’s good friend Sue and it’s so simple to make.

Serve this delicious tomato chilli jam with anything – Parmesan and crackers, alongside a frittata, with a mince pie, heck even a boiled egg! We guarantee you’ll be coming back for more

Sweet. Hot. Plummy. This chutney has it all going on! Nici Wickes’ tasty plum and apple chutney recipe is great served spread on bread or crackers and accompanied with cheese