Homemade sweet & sour pickles

So I have discovered that these are also referred to as bread and butter pickles. After a bit of a google, I learned that this has nothing to do with how you actually use the pickle and is just a confusing name, hence the use of ‘sweet and sour’ above. I’m not out to confuse you, only feed you.

These are the pickles which will turn your world upside down. Don’t worry about being the weirdo who eats them straight from the jar – we all do it, it’s expected of you. If you’re not confident enough to go straight in with fingers or a fork, feel free to use enablers such as burgers, sandwiches or cheese and biscuits. Or bread and butter, sure. This recipe is seriously easy and will beat any shop bought version. The most important aspect is maintaining the crunch, so don’t over do them in the pan.

Homemade sweet & sour pickles

Kitchen Stuff: 1 large sterilized jar or two smaller jars (pop it in boiling water for a few mins to sterilize)

Timings: Prep & cooling: 5 hours Cooking: 15 mins

Quantities: 1-2 large jars

Ingredients: 5 cucumbers 1 onion 80g Maldon sea salt 300ml cider vinegar 200g soft brown sugar 5 cloves 5g mustard seeds 5g fennel seeds 5g coriander seeds Method: 1. CUT: cut the cucumbers into 3-4mm slices. Pell your onion, cut in half then slice into 3-4mm slices. Feel free to go thicker or thinner depending on your pickle preference. 2. SALT: Layer the cucumber and onion slices in a container with salt between each layer. Cover with clingfilm and a heavy weight to extract the water. Leave for at least 4 hours. 3. DRAIN: Pour liquid away and rinse the cucumber and onion under running water. Pat dry and leave drain in a colander whilst preparing the brine. 4. SPICE: Put the vinegar, sugar and spices into a large stainless steel pan and stir over a medium heat until dissolved. 5. BOIL: Bring to the boil and add the cucumber and onion slices. Cook for 3 minutes or until browned through. Don’t over cook as you want the pickles to be crunchy. Leave to cool then transfer to your lovely kilner jar.