Spiced Eggplant Chutney product reviews

A difficult review for me because I am sure given the brand that it is a well made product and the issue here is one of personal taste. I had never tried eggplant and had no idea what to expect, but I am still not sure I have any idea what eggplant tastes like because all I could taste was pepper - lots of it. I am not a fan of pepper. I dont usually mind it as an ingredient (or other spices) but being a chutney I had expected a blend of flavours and that wasn't what I got.

Perhaps going into a stew may tone the peppery taste down a bit and allow the other flavours to reveal themselves? Combining it with yoghurt would definitely make a difference.

I reluctantly have to say that I generally wouldn't recommend this product to others unless I was very sure they enjoyed their pepper. But, having said that, sometimes strange flukes can happen in production even when a manufacturer works to avoid it, it is always possible that somehow I managed to get a jar that isn't representative.

But if you really enjoy your pepper then I say go for it - a trusted brand and a product that is a little different.

I cracked open the Barker's Spiced Eggplant Chutney the other night. I'm not a big fan of vinegar which is usually heavily in supply in chutneys, but this stuff is amazing. The addition of the cumin, gives this chutney a curried taste which is so delicious. I also have not really eaten Eggplant before except usually slathered in cheese. The chunks of eggplant in this are so crunchy and fresh.

I loved that this chutney was really full of flavour and full of chunky pieces of vegetable. I loved the flavour over and above all the chutneys I have tried recently. I served it on top of my boring ol' mac and cheese and it make the dish come to life!

I was so impressed with this product that I used up half the jar in two sittings and I doubt that it will be in my fridge much longer. I will absolutely be buying this again once it runs out. The cost is not bad, when you think of its deliciousness. The only thing I would change is the size of the jar, because it is that good I think 4 uses and mine will be all gone.

Okay now I have to admit I have never tried eggplant before, so I didn't really know what to expect with this condiment. When I first opened it and took a good sniff it smelt really quite good, it looked similar to a thick tomato relish.

I had been advised that it had a taste similar to that of piccalli or chow chow, well I think it is more of a piccalli flavouring that that of a chow chow, and that was okay by me as I love piccalli... I was also expecting a bit of heat to it as other items I have tried that have been called spicy were often quite high on the spicy side, which is fine by me but it tends to exclude teh rest of the family, but in this case it is what I would term a very mild spice and so is perfect for the whole family to use.

I generally use something like this as a condiment on some cold cut meat such as corned silverside or cold roast beef or lamb, but I am now tempted to see what else I can make with this wonderful little chutney.

This is sooo good!! I absolutely love eggplant (or aubergine as we call it in our house) and cook with it all the time. It would never have occurred to me to use it in a chutney so this was a lovely little surprise in a jar!

Of course first this has to be tried on a spoon all by itself. It is sweet with a lovely after taste that left my mouth feeling very warm and sweet. The after taste is nice and as this is all natural there is no artificial taste in this at all. This is made with 30% eggplant, brown sugar, vinegar, red capsicum, canola oil, ginger, garlic, salt, chilli, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. I really liked that all the ingredients were listed including the type of oil. I also like that this is in a glass jar so can be recycled or re-used. The labels are great and have a lovely home made feel about them.

Now back to the chutney itself. Well obviously I love it and have had this on ham sandwiches, chicken rolls, mixed through cooked vege's , mashed with potato and kumara, in scrolls with cheese and with cheese and ham, on fresh bread and on home made pizza and just the odd sneaky spoonful on it's own. It has been a delicious accompaniment to all these foods.

I will definitely be looking out for this to buy as it is a great chutney to jazz up your food a bit and has plenty of uses.

As a result of trying this chutney I will now buy some of the other products in the range to see if they taste as good.

this was really tasty and surprising. I know eggplant is something I dont normally eat but I couldnt really taste it in this. the spices totally masked the eggplant taste which was a good thing as far as I am concerned. this went really nicely on a bun with hot roast chicken and cheese giving everything a solid flavour without drowning out the cheese and chicken tastes. I wanted to try making something different with this but a pile of friends and family were around when this parcel arrived and so all we got to do was the chicken buns and some crackers and it was all gone. not everyone who tried it thought it was a good as I did but those who didnt like it said it was more that they didnt normally eat chutney or relish anyway so it wasnt so much about this product as the type in general. all the relish eaters enjoyed it and I know at least one family who plan to add this to their regular shopping list. mine. this is something I am going to make sure we have a good supply of at all times. thanks KIWIreviews and Barkers.

This stuff is amazing. I tried making a dip with it using a pottle of sour cream and a few tablespoons of this and ran it through a blender to get a smooth dip. It was a little more runny than I wanted so I just added a bit of packet onion soup and that worked perfectly. With some carrot and celery sticks and a handful of cauliflower florets on a plate around a bowl of dip, it was a hit with the whanau.

We had to attend a tangi over the weekend and as always the meal of choice was hangi. Unfortunately, whoever planned out the hangi must be a traditionalist who hasn't discovered the idea of seasoning or sauces. This is something I find at many hangis, so I was a bit naughty and brought this chutney along to add some flavour. On kumara it is unbeatable and it added a really nice flavour to the chicken and the beef too but it was a bit too strong and covered all the flavour of the pork. Keep this for stronger meats only.

I wasn't subtle enough when I put this on the food, because I was spotted, glared at, then forced to hand the jar over to some of the rellies who made sure I understood how disappointed they were in this old Koro. Then they gobbled the lot down themselves. Cheeky kids. At least they enjoyed it and were quick to apologise afterwards, admitting that I had the right idea and they would be bringing some flavour to the next hangi.

Really, this was a very nice chutney. Not as chunky as some I have tried but not a smooth baby food type paste either. An excellent balance of flavour and texture that didn't get under my dentures and cause me any nasty surprises later. Great work Barker's.

I don't like eggplant. Never have, never will. But when it is used as an ingredient in something like this, with plenty of herbs and spices for flavour, and the eggplant acts more as bulk, THEN I am ok to give it a go. Especially as the first thing to go through my mind when I cracked the lid was "This smells so GOOD... and it looks a lot like Mustard Pickle!" Now, Mustard Pickle is one of my favourite condiments, and the fact that this chutney immediately reminded me of that gave me an idea I simply HAD to try!

I have long been a fan of this simple beef stir-fry sauce and I wondered if this chutney could stand in it's place and offer as good as, or better, flavour. Simple answer - better! I know this because my 11yr old son does not like the original stir-fry, but he asked for seconds of this version. Quite the strong testimonial in my books! I admit to also finding this version a lot sweeter and more appealing too, despite adding a dash of soy sauce into the mix.

Having seen what some other reviewers have done with it, I admit to being very curious to see what kinds of experimental dishes I can come up with in time, but for the short term I am more than content to slathering it on thick slices of wholegrain bread, laying down some bacon, cheese, tomato and thinly sliced capsicum and munching down of a delightful sandwich when the urge takes me. Occasionally I throw in a fried egg too, just for added protein. #nomnomnom

Overall, this is a wonderful complement to a huge range of dishes, clearly... but the fact that it can hold a strong appeal for me just eating it in the simple ways makes it a very strong contender for joining the ranks of the "there MUST be one on hand, always!" ingredients in the pantry. It was chunky enough to give great texture but not as chunky as a chow-chow, which despite having a wonderful flavour I love, is hardly as versatile as this! The eggplant was an inspired choice, as it adds a good bulk and a flavour that accepts the spices without drowning, or being drowned by, them. A hit in this house!

I was really looking forward to trying this, Barkers make fantastic sauces (love the plum one!) and their apricot chutney is to die for. I love the simple clean and boutique style of the jar labels - gives it almost a home made feel. And even better, its made in the south island. That in my books is a big one when I'm looking at buying chutneys/relishes as the market is so vast, I try to buy local (ish)

The smell when you open the jar is heavenly, i wasn't too sure what to expect from an eggplant chutney, it certainly is a talking point at the table what it will be like! We had this with nice big chunky pork fillets ... pork and relishes really go together for me! My almost 4 year old son thought that this was divine ... and helped him self 3 times to another spoonful from the jar! Pretty impressive! My partner also really enjoyed this, saying that he like it as it was really different to most of the ones we have.

I on the other hand was not really a fan of this. The flavour is really strong, the spice is almost overpowering ... i cannot put my finger on what the overpowering flavour is exactly ... but it smells like fruit tarts a little!! On the plus side the texture was awesome, it had really nice chunky bits to it giving it that rustic home made feel. I could put this on a cheese board and claim i had made it!!

I possibly would buy this again, as it was a big hit with my family, but it definitely isn't for everyone! In saying this, it doesn't affect how i feel about the Barkers brand and I still would recommend trying this one! Its amazing how they have jazzed eggplant up!

I'm not usually a fan on eggplant, simply because I've never had it prepared in a way that I liked. So I was very curious about the chutney and thought it would be great to try.

I'd already decided that I would try and add some to baking, but thought that I would try some right out of the jar first. To me, it had the perfect balance of spice, sweetness and texture and if I hadn't already gotten all my ingredients out, I probably could have sat down with a spoon and eaten right from the jar.

With this, such a little goes a long way, using just 2/3 a jar I was able to make two lots of muffins with the chutney. Not only did it make the muffins nice and soft and moist, but they tasted delish! 2 days later and nearly all 24 muffins are gone. Everyone loved the taste, from my children, to my mum, to my dubious husband.

With the little left over on crackers this was perfect. So it is something that I will be getting again in the future, and for the versatility of the product I think that it is a decent enough price.

To me eggplant doesn't have a strong flavour so I was surprised to see it being used in a chutney. It is a product where the spices are the dominant flavour. It had the right level of spice for me. If it had been any hotter I wouldn't be eating it. Eating it with cheese and crackers helped to lessen the heat. I ate too many crackers because it was so delicious.

I used the chutney to make pinwheel scones. I simply replaced the tomato paste in the recipe I had with chutney. The result tasted great but didn't look too fantastic. While we were baking my team of pre-school helpers sampled the chutney and all declared it was too hot. They did all however eat the scones. The scones didn't get a chance to cool down. The chutney provided a lovely moisture to complement the drier scone.

The Barkers website is full of recipes and suggestions of how to use the chutney. May of the recipes suggest one of the other Barkers chutneys but the spiced eggplant could be used instead. I will be suggesting to my husband (the cook) that we try some of them.

I am going to have to put my hand up and actually admit that I don't recall every trying eggplant in general before, yes I know, I have a somewhat boring range of foods I usually have, so was somewhat excited to try this product.

First off, if you like a good chutney, you will like this product, it has a great taste which is hard to describe, but it is pleasant with a nice mix of spices resulting in something that would easily go with cheeses, meats and anything else you would want to put it on.

It's not too spicy, and with no preservatives, no added colours, no added flavours, and no artificial sweeteners, this is a product that could have been easily made by some old family member.

There is only one thing I'm not looking forward to, and that is when the jar runs out, as I will have to track it down in the wild and buy some more.