My maternal grandmother Win was a great cook. My paternal grandmother Joan probably was too but by the time I came along dementia had rendered her an absence in my existence so I never got to experience that.

Win made amazing roasts , fantastic picnics and the baking tin was never empty. One of my favourite things from her kitchen was the bread and butter pickles which she would then combine with sharp aged cheddar , butter and bread to make cheese and pickle sandwiches.

I don’t have her recipe but through the years I have experimented with recipes from across the internet and this one lands in pretty much the right place. One thing of note is that Win would only make it with gherkins , if fresh gherkins were not to be found we didn’t have bread and butter pickle that year. I have much more fluid standards and happily use cucumbers, and zucchini in place of gherkins.

This pickle is product of empire , the strong Indian influence can be seen. It is also sweet, people from the northern hemisphere often sneer at it’s sugar rich character but when combined with good sharp cheddar and salty butter a sublime balance is achieved.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg cucumbers, zucchini or gherkins

2 onions

2 Tablespoons salt

1 litre vinegar – a 50/50 blend of cider and white

400g sugar

2 teaspoons yellow mustard seed

2 teaspoons black mustard seed

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 tablespoon turmeric

2 teaspoon peppercorns

3 bay leaves

Slice the cucumber and onion thin.

Layer with salt in a bowl

Cover and leave to sit for 1 -2 hours.

Drain off fluid then rinse with cold water and drain well.

Put the vinegar, sugar and spices into a large saucepan and bring to the boil stiring.

Add the vegetables to the boiling liquid and turn off the heat.

Jar up while hot .