Get your chutney on this weekend at the first ever Virginia Chutney Festival— a free event in Sperryville hosted by the Virginia Chutney Company that promises to be a rip-roaring good time. Hailed nationally for its flavorful, all-natural chutneys, the Rappahannock County-based company has been written up by Marrian Burros in the The New York Times. To quote, “Clare Turner, an Englishwoman who grew up in East Africa, has merged her country’s chutney wisdom with Southern recipes. The results are full of fruits, instead of gooey syrups.”

Head to The Link community center in Sperryville this Saturday, October 24th from 11 am to 4 pm and taste the company’s seasonal Green Tomato Chutney, which is made once a year in the fall in limited batches, while listening to bluegrass music by the Gold Top County Ramblers, a band based in Sperryville. The kids will love the interactive chutney cooking demos. Best of all: The outdoor barbecue picnic lunch, featuring locally produced menu items paired with the Virginia Chutney Company’s Southern-style chutneys. All sandwiches will be served with Route 11 potato chips, fresh apple cider from Roy’s Orchard, and an apple from The Farm at Sunnyside. Here’s a menu sampling: The Plummy Piggy— Barbecue sandwiches prepared by Fat Possum BBQ, made using humanely raised pork from Baker Farms in Shenandoah County, and processed by Blue Ridge Meats, a Certified Humane processing facility; The Ploughman— Sharp cheddar cheese from Marshall Farms Natural Cheese combined with your favorite chutney and served on country white bread from Red Truck Bakery. Lunch is priced from $8.

Cheers to Chutney.