Branston Pickle (Copycat)
A copycat of Great Britain's most iconic sandwich spread, this homemade Branston Pickle captures that nostalgic flavor that you know and love!
Equipment
- Vidalia Chop Wizard (optional for uniformly square pieces)
- Medium sized pot (about 4 quart)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups finely diced swede/rutabaga
- 1 1/2 cups finely diced carrots
- 1 cup finely diced cauliflower (use as much of the stems as you can, reserving leftover florets for another purpose)
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1 Granny Smith or other tart apple , peeled and cored
- 3 ounces pitted Medjool dates
- 1 cup dark brown sugar , not packed
- 1 cup malt vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup spirit vinegar or Essig Essenz (see blog post "Ingredients" for explanation)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegans/vegetarians: substitute soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons concentrated tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon black treacle or molasses
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons Ball Realfruit Classic Pectin or cornstarch
Instructions
- Chop the swede/rutabaga, carrots, cauliflower and onions to your desired size (Branston’s “original” has larger chunks, around 1/8-1/4 inch, versus their “small chunk” version which is finely diced) and place them in medium-sized pot.Place the apple, prunes and lemon juice in a blender and puree until smooth.Add the apple/date puree to the pot along with the brown sugar, malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, treacle/molasses, and the spices.Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture is reduced in volume, thick and darker (but the vegetables still retain their shape without becoming mush). How long this takes will depend on the size and type of your pot, your cooktop, and the temperature. Stir frequently towards the end to prevent the mixture from scorching.Taste and add more salt, vinegar and/or sugar as needed.
- If it's thick enough to your liking you can leave it as it is. (Note that the pickle will thicken up a little when it cools.) If you prefer it thicker and you've let it simmer for as long as you can without the vegetables disintegrating, you can either add some cornstarch dissolved in a little water (2 teaspoons dissolved in a tablespoon of water, or more cornstarch if needed) or add some pectin (like Ball Classic RealFruit powdered pectin). In both cases return the pickle to a boil for 2-3 minutes.Spoon the Branston pickle into clean jars and seal them. Allow them to fully cool and then store the jars in the fridge where the pickle will keep for about a month. For the best flavor, allow it to sit for a few days before using to give the flavors time to develop.This makes roughly 1 quart of pickle. You can store it in a large quart jar or separate it into smaller jars.
- Storage: Stored in an airtight jar, this will keep for about a month in the fridge. Check for signs of mold or off-smells. This recipe has not been tested for canning. Instead, for longer-term storage I recommend freezing it in small quantities so you can conveniently take out what you need. It will freeze for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 24kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 0.2gFat: 0.04gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.004gSodium: 64mgPotassium: 51mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 506IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!