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Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

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Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby slimpersoninside » Mon Feb 01, 2021 5:19 pm

Does anyone have a good T&T recipe for either of these please?

Hubby is fond of both but has developed intolerances/mild allergies over the past few years to some of the ingredients. I'd like to have a go at making alternatives with the absence of the offenders.

I realise Branston is a brand of sweet pickle but hoping someone has made one that tastes similar.

Thank you.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby ZeroCook » Mon Feb 01, 2021 11:59 pm

What particular intolerences/allergens, Slimpers?
I have a branston/ploughman's.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby slimpersoninside » Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:10 am

Garlic and onion are the main ones :( , it makes cooking very difficult!

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby ZeroCook » Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:41 am

Ok. It is a toughie as onion is a main ingredient and texture. Is all allium a problem or can he eat leeks? You could replace the onion with that. If he can't do alliium at all, for flavour qualities, you could try subbing the onions with same quantity sweet red peppers (slightly different flavour component tho) and a pinch of asofoetida (sizzle first before adding) and subbing 1/4 to 1/2 of the salt with black salt which has a slight sulphury flavour, which is what allium has. Or just use more carrots, swedes and apples along with the asofeotida and black salt. Taste as you go.


Pickle Branston Ploughman’s 2

450 g onions – about 2 medium sized
450 g carrots / 1lb - about 4 – 5 medium
450g swede
450g apples - about 3 medium


300 g soft brown sugar
750 ml vinegar, half balsamic
2 teaspoons turmeric
3 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp/ 6g salt
¼ tsp garam masala
360 ml water

¼ tsp garam masala for finishing

Peel and dice onions, carrots, swedes and apples into smallish chunks.
Place in heavy saucepan and add remaining ingredients
Bring to a boil.
Simmer briskly until mixture reduces and begins to thicken.
Turn heat down a little and continue cooking, stirring to prevent the mixture sticking, until the mixture is thick and jam like.
Add a little more water if needed and cook longer of needed to achieve the right texture and consistency.
Add the final ¼ tsp garam masala, cook another minute or so.
Bottle as wished.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Feb 02, 2021 1:29 am

Yep - I can give you a piccalilli recipe that´s been T&T over 5,000 times. The only thing is, it´s got garlic and onions in it.
The same goes for the Branston - onions and garlic.
The ONLY thing I could suggest would be to use asafoetida, which is used in Indian cooking by those strict Hindus who do not eat garlic OR onions. You only need a little bit, but the flavour is very particular.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby slimpersoninside » Tue Feb 02, 2021 5:49 pm

Thank you both for your replies and help.

It is the allium family that's the problem, to a greater or lesser degree, and is indeed a very tricky one. For texture I find a bit of dried potato helps, not quite the same but needs must.

I had heard about using asafoetida for the taste but not black salt, this I shall look into.

Since the intolerance/allergy we have learned to accept some things do work with adaptations and some things don't. The hardest thing for me, as the cook, is everything needs to be cooked from scratch (garlic and/or onion seem to be in most ready made foods), sometimes I wish I could use shortcuts :oops: .

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby jeral » Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:17 pm

For flavour and texture in Branston-style, celery, or the white part of pak choi or Chinese leaves might help as they're not alliums.

Mustard isn't either so that's good re piccalilli which doesn't really need onion or garlic. My dad used to make just cauliflower piccalilli which was great for anything like ham, pork or cheese. (He reckoned dismissively that the mixed sort was more like Heinz sandwich spread.)

PS: Just checked gherkins and they're not alliums, being in the family with marrows, courgettes, squash, pumpkins, cucumbers - so plenty that could add safe bulk.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby scullion » Tue Feb 02, 2021 7:16 pm

i had a go at trying to replicate branston a few years ago. it was ok but if i was having another go i think i would be inclined to use dark brown sugar (and maybe a little tamarind pulp) or muscavado.
i would go with the finely sliced celery and asafœtida suggestions. asafœtida is meant to taste like leeks although i haven't really noticed 'leek-ness'. it does add a really good depth of flavour to many dishes - other than just indian.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby Seatallan » Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:31 pm

I like Delia's Old Dowerhouse chutney recipe- it has the sweetness of Branston-style pickle but is more complex. It doesn't have much onion in it (only 8oz) so you could probably just leave it out and still get the same effect.

As for Piccalilli- again, whichever recipe you use I'd just omit the onion and bulk out with other veg. It won't be quite the same but I think it would still be tasty.
Food, felines and fells (in no particular order)

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby Earthmaiden » Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:48 pm

Because I dislike fenugreek, asafœtida and cumin, I like Branston because it doesn't appear to contain any of them including a garam masala which contains them. I've just looked at the ingredients and annoyingly it just says 'spices' and 'spice extracts'.
The ingredients are carrot, rutabaga (swede), onion, cauliflower, sugar, malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, water, tomato puree, date paste, rice flour, apple pulp, salt, modified maze starch, colour, onion powder, lemon juice, spices, colouring roast barley malt extract), spice extracts.
I'd say that the vinegar, sweetness and tomato were the main flavours/tastes, tamarind would be good. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of heat but maybe a little ginger and certainly a small amount of clove ould work. Heinz tomato ketchup (which in an odd way is similar but with different sweetness and acidity) has celery and clove.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:00 am

the two Branston Imitation recipes I tried contained mustard seed, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, chile and coriander, so I think that´d be ok.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby ZeroCook » Wed Feb 03, 2021 5:02 pm

Clearly people's tastes in spices vary. But it can be surprising what goes into pickles and chutneys, sauces and relishes for the "je ne sais quois" factor. Spices are like colours, surprising in combinations and nuances. Take a read of the ingredients label on Worcestershire sauce any brown sauce for eg.

Branston simply has "spices" listed on the label as said. It probably also originates from a long line of Anglo South Asian pickles and chutneys. Many versions of garam masala of course, but classic garam masala generally won't have have fenugreek or asafoetida in it. It's quite a delicate a finishing spice. mix and will usually have aromatics like cloves, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg as in this Madhur Jaffrey version. https://www.food.com/recipe/garam-masal ... ivity-feed. And variable.

1/4 tsp of that would be around = 1.8g of which let's say

.36g cloves
.18g cumin
.36g cardamom
.36g cinnamon
.36g black pepper
.16g nutmeg

Pinches of pinches. :D

"Mixed spice" is a also a good option too. No cumin in that. It's a very warm mix.

Elizabeth David's Mixed Spice:
2 parts ground nutmeg
2 parts ground allspice or pepper
1 part ground cinnamon
1 part ground cloves
1 part ground ginger

Still looking for a good copycat recipe for Sharwoods mango chutney btw, if anyone has one

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Feb 03, 2021 5:53 pm

I've always regarded the Elizabeth David mixed spice as a pudding/cake spice

Most commercial British pickles I suspect used a fair amount of mustard as it' cheap here, and crops up in a number of copycat recipes, Branston really tastes nasty to me at the moment, so my guess is either cumin or caraway, but it might just be the malt vinegar combining with something

I just searched for Pan Yan pickle recipe online, as I remember someone recreating it a few years ago, but she hasn't posted her full recipe I don't think, (someone might check on the link below - I always like Pan Yan and interestingly, no alliums, it was cut small, like Branston small chunk/sandwich version
Ingredients
Rutabagar (swede), sugar, apples, carrots, vinegar, thickener (modified starch) gerkins, acetic acid, peppers, onions, spices, colour (caramel), flavourings.

https://www.thepropermarmaladecompany.c ... kle-recipe

Are sure about the Sharwood's? I tried some recently and really disliked it, just vinegary syrup, Geeta's is so much nicer
https://www.geetasfoods.com/product/pre ... o-chutney/

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby ZeroCook » Wed Feb 03, 2021 6:52 pm

Stokey Sue wrote:I've always regarded the Elizabeth David mixed spice as a pudding/cake spice

Yes, agree. Point was that the combinations are very usable off piste "off label" as it were. I do that a bit. It's a lot to do with what works.

Are sure about the Sharwood's? I tried some recently and really disliked it, just vinegary syrup, Geeta's is so much nicer
https://www.geetasfoods.com/product/pre ... o-chutney/

Some really great South Asian pickles and chutneys out there which I love and have been known to try to copy as well :D. Very partial to Pataks Brinjal pickle which I've had a go at but now just buy or make Mamtas when inspired. Was looking for a Sharwoods copycat vinegary jammy chutney - it's very of a type and texture/colour that I want to use as a base.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:08 pm

Stokey Sue wrote:I've always regarded the Elizabeth David mixed spice as a pudding/cake spice

Most commercial British pickles I suspect used a fair amount of mustard as it' cheap here, and crops up in a number of copycat recipes, Branston really tastes nasty to me at the moment, so my guess is either cumin or caraway, but it might just be the malt vinegar combining with something

I just searched for Pan Yan pickle recipe online, as I remember someone recreating it a few years ago, but she hasn't posted her full recipe I don't think, (someone might check on the link below - I always like Pan Yan and interestingly, no alliums, edited to add opps, yes, a little onion - but much less than many :oops: it was cut small, like Branston small chunk/sandwich version
Ingredients
Rutabagar (swede), sugar, apples, carrots, vinegar, thickener (modified starch) gerkins, acetic acid, peppers, onions, spices, colour (caramel), flavourings.

https://www.thepropermarmaladecompany.c ... kle-recipe

Are sure about the Sharwood's? I tried some recently and really disliked it, just vinegary syrup, Geeta's is so much nicer
https://www.geetasfoods.com/product/pre ... o-chutney/

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:13 pm

Are sure about the Sharwood's? I tried some recently and really disliked it, just vinegary syrup, Geeta's is so much nicer
https://www.geetasfoods.com/product/pre ... o-chutney/

Some really great South Asian pickles and chutneys out there which I love and have been known to try to copy as well :D. Very partial to Pataks Brinjal pickle which I've had a go at but now just buy or make Mamtas when inspired. Was looking for a Sharwoods copycat vinegary jammy chutney - it's very of a type and texture/colour that I want to use as a base.


Oh I can eat Patak's Brinjal with a spoon :chops:

But I've recently discovered that there are a couple of other pretty good brands in my local Indian grocers, much cheaper - and the supermarket stocks a range of pickles made by Lazzat, in both small and catering size jars - and I reckon that's the pickle tray in most High Street Indian restaurants :D

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby KeenCook2 » Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:14 pm

ZeroCook wrote:
Still looking for a good copycat recipe for Sharwoods mango chutney btw, if anyone has one


Not much use to you there, and not exactly what you asked for :D but we always liked the M & S spicy mango chutney. It's been so long since I've been to a M & S shop, I have no idea if they still make it. We finished our last jar a while ago.

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby ZeroCook » Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:54 pm

Oh I can eat Patak's Brinjal with a spoon :chops:

Oh don't! Scary. Too good. Have been known to get two jars at a time. :D

Quite a few really good South Asian brands showing up all over now and S Asian food shopping seriously going online. Yess.

Am sure it's excellent KC2 - never looked for that there but they often have really good/interesting things to come across. It's often a last stop pre long haul trips. Pre pandemic if course : ?

KDKA don't you have a jammy light mango chut recipe or ten?

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby scullion » Thu Feb 04, 2021 1:55 am

Stokey Sue wrote:I just searched for Pan Yan pickle recipe online, as I remember someone recreating it a few years ago, but she hasn't posted her full recipe I don't think, (someone might check on the link below - I always like Pan Yan and interestingly, no alliums, it was cut small, like Branston small chunk/sandwich version
Ingredients
Rutabagar (swede), sugar, apples, carrots, vinegar, thickener (modified starch) gerkins, acetic acid, peppers, onions, spices, colour (caramel), flavourings.


i think you may have missed that onion!

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Re: Piccalilli & Branston Pickle recipe?

Postby karadekoolaid » Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:21 am

KDKA don't you have a jammy light mango chut recipe or ten?


Ten is about right... 8-)
I´ve got a huge mango tree in the garden, so there´s always plenty of fruit around. Ripe mango, green mango, hot mango, mango pickle, mango with loads of spices - and this one, which probably sold around 200,000 jars when it was in the supermarkets:
1 kg ripe juicy mango, cut into dice
125 gms dark raisins
25 gms fresh ginger, peeled
3 fat cloves garlic
225 gms brown sugar
225 gms white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/1/2 tsps garam masala
1 1/2 tsps coriander powder
1/2 tsp hot chile powder (NOT the so -called "Mexican" chile powder, the real thing)
130 mls white wine vinegar

Process the raisins, ginger garlic and vinegar to a thick paste. Then put all the ingredients, including the paste, into a large pan. Bring gently to a boil, stirring frequently, until all the sugar melts. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 25 minutes, again, stirring frequently ( the chutney has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan and "erupt" like a volcano if you don´t.) When the chutney has thickened, you´re ready to bottle it.

There´s also a divine Indian chutney called " Chundoo". There are dozens of recipes online, but my absolute favourite has flaked almonds and saffron in it :shock: :gonzo

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