“Been Using for Over 20 Years”: SA Woman Shares “Authentic” Mrs Balls Chutney Recipe, Stuns Mzansi

• Robertha Boggenpoel posted what she claims is the original Mrs Balls Chutney recipe on a popular Facebook group
• The recipe calls for dried peaches, apricots, brown grape vinegar, sugar, onions and cayenne pepper
• South Africans at home and abroad responded with excitement, with some saying they have not bought chutney in over 20 years

Robertha Boggenpoel, a member of the South African Family Recipes group on Facebook, shared what she described as a tried-and-tested original Mrs Balls Chutney recipe on 15 July 2026. The post quickly caught fire among food lovers.

The recipe lists dried peaches, apricots, brown grape vinegar, sugar, onions and cayenne pepper, salt and optionally, chopped hot chillies.

A Sauce Steeped in SA History

Mrs H.S. Ball's Chutney has been a staple in South African homes for over a century. The Woodstock factory in Cape Town opened its doors in 1917 to keep up with growing demand, and the iconic bottle eventually found its way onto dinner tables around the world. In April 2013, Mrs Balls became a wholly owned subsidiary of Tiger Consumer Brands Limited cementing its place as a major commercial brand. Yet for many South Africans, the homemade version carries a nostalgia that no supermarket shelf can replicate.

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View the Facebook post below:

Mzansi Reacts to the Recipe

The recipe's nostalgia came through clearly in the comments under Robertha's page:

Bruce Hong said:

"I have been using this recipe for over 20 years and have not bought chutney again."

Desiree Pugh Freeman shared:

"Going to try it as Mrs Balls not available in Spain. Cost a fortune if I order it from Amazon. X"

Trisch Rosema asked:

"Just a quick question please - do you soak and cook the fruit in the entire 3L vinegar and then use the drained vinegar to continue with steps 3 onwards? Many thanks."

Bruce Hong replied to Trisch:

"Yes, you use all the vinegar as well."

Liz Nell offered a word of caution:

"We made the mistake of using 75g cayenne pepper once and figured it should be 7.5g... We don't add the chillies; I would imagine that would also be 7.5g and not 75g...?"

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Source: Briefly News