Bottled Up

Congratulations on winning the Spinneys Local Business Incubator programme in 2020. Tell us, how did Bottled Up come to be?

My business partner and I have known each other for a long time and have been coming up with various chutney flavours in our kitchens for many years, which we would later sell at local farmers' markets. It was more of a passion project which took a little bit of a backseat at the time, but a few years ago, we thought of bringing our project back to life and later came across the Spinneys Local Business Incubator programme, which we applied to and won.

What can people expect from the Bottled Up chutney range available at Spinneys?

Customers will currently find three flavours on the shelves: beetroot and ginger, tangy green apple and spiced date. All of our chutneys are made with zero preservatives, come in reusable glass bottles and have a one-year shelf life. The spice combinations we use in our recipes are variations of garam masala, a spice mix popular in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

So, what is chutney for those who don't know?

Think of chutney as something with a consistency similar to that of a dip or spread but with a little more spice. Chutneys are the perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy and can elevate the flavours of just about any meal. In fact, we have included pairing options on the side of our bottles for people to try out. I met somebody who loves our spiced date chutney with biryani. While we've never thought of pairing it with biryani, it's quite interesting to see people using our chutneys in such creative ways.

How did you come up with the flavour combinations of the chutneys?

I was born in India, lived in Kenya and am now settled in the UAE. All three countries boast a rich culture and large population of ex-pats with whom I socialise daily. I quickly learned that people enjoy the bold flavours of Indian food, which meant that there was an opportunity for us to explore. Now, a typical Indian kitchen uses a lot of spice, which can be overwhelming for the unaccustomed palate, so we thought to ourselves: "Why don't we think of something that people can easily access and use as an accompaniment to their meals?" We had to think globally, so we brought in fresh ingredients that the Middle Eastern and Western palates are more accustomed to eating, like dates, apples and beetroot, and infused them with spices from the East used in traditional chutney recipes, like cloves, ginger and cumin. The green apple, for example, carries the same tanginess as that of a raw mango used in a traditional chutney. A lot of thought has gone into perfecting the recipes, and it has worked beautifully so far.

What's your favourite chutney, and how do you like to use it?

It changes all the time. If you had asked me the same question two years ago, I would have said the tangy green apple chutney. Today, I think it would be a fight between the spiced date and beetroot and ginger. The latter I use to make delicious beetroot hummus or to create a dip with labneh or yoghurt as a complement to chips or celery sticks for when I'm entertaining. I use the spiced date chutney in my salad dressings; I mix it with a bit of citrus to make it runnier, then drizzle it on my greens for a little sweet-zesty zing. I'm also a big meat eater, so I love to use the tangy green apple chutney as a relish with grills and burgers.

What's next for Bottled Up?

While customers absolutely love our unique take on chutneys, we have seen a need for a traditional chutney that works well on a classic cheese board. It's still a conversation to be had, but we might go back to basics and develop an unmissable conventional chutney recipe that people can rely on for added depth of flavour.