This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s Guide to London
Pickling practice is believed to have originated in the Tigris Valley around 2400 BC. We discovered that ancient Mesopotamians preserved vegetables soaked in acidic solutions and made them delicious. From the 15th century onwards, it became a global practice. In Eastern Europe, cabbage was pickled to make sauerkraut, and cucumbers were making dill pickles. In the Mediterranean, olives and peppers were similarly preserved. All of East Asia, pickled vegetables such as radish, luxurious, garlic and chili peppers are served as accompaniment to many dishes, but one of South Asia’s favorite seasonings is Acha.
However, we currently live in the golden age of pickles, driven primarily by trends regarding improving gut health (more than 130,000 people in the UK have signed up for Zoe, a nutrition program focused on the gut), and a burgeoning interest in sustainable cooking and diet. In London, creating menus around seasonal UK produce is becoming a common practice as restaurants strive to use less miles of ingredients. By storing vegetables in acidic solutions, spring and summer prize money is offered all year round and do not take up valuable freezer space.
Pop culture also shows symptoms of Pickles’ obsession. Last year, Dua Lipa shared a recipe for pickled juice, jalapeño and diet cola, which was seen millions of times in Tiktok. On TV, it’s an episode of Rick and Morty, who transforms himself into a pickle, causing a tsunami of pickle sales, including hats, socks and full-size outfits. Then there’s Big Dill, the US tour pickle festival that attracted 7,500 people in Philadelphia last June.
My own passion for pickles began under the Golden Arch of McDonalds. I was a friend who was willing to collect floppy vinegary green discs from everyone else’s cheeseburgers. I learned that there are better places to eat pickles that are much better than industrial park parking, especially when my tastes and knowledge of food preservation in restaurants developed.
Eating out
Silo (Hackney Wick)
1st floor, Unit 7 Queen’s Yard, White Post Train, London E9 5en
Silo has become London’s first zero waste restaurant, focusing on fermentation and pickles to maintain food and reduce disposable. “Pickles are silo bread and butter,” says executive chef Willstoyle. “This is an easy way to store food beyond the seasons and give our produce a lifespan. But it’s also very tasty.”
Silo is only for the tasting menu (£75), but for lunch on the evening or Saturday, you’ll have the option to order an abbreviated version (£45), consisting of Stoyle’s favorite dishes. Meat and fish options are available, but the menu is generally suitable for plants. From smoked pumpkins with farmed cream to asparagus, there are dishes with your favorite flavours and fennel. The standout I recently tried was a golden beetroot plate served with yogurt and blackberries, which were soaked in elderflower vinegar. The berry sharpness balanced the dish by cutting through the rustic weight of the beetroot, but the pickles showed how much summer fruit and warm autumn flavors could be served in spring. Dieting in silos is an education in reducing waste and a way to use pickled products in a variety of ways. Website; Directions
Scully (St. James)
4 St James Market, London SW1Y 4AH
The restaurant, which is named after chef Ramael Scully, guests will be shown with fermented, preserved and pickled jars at the door.
The restaurant is known for its vibrant and diverse flavours influenced by Scully’s heritage. He was born in Malaysia to a Chinese Indian mother and an Irish father and raised in Australia. He is also the protégé of Yotam Ottolenghi and is also known as the number one pickle enthusiast.
There is a 2-course set menu (£60 and £70) and a 3-course set menu (from £100) and a la carte, with all pickled pickled produce. Pickles appear on the entire range of dishes, sauces, and even cocktails. Salt-covered green tomatillo, lightly pickled with apple cider vinegar and pastrami spices, is served as part of the main sea bass. Pickled lean radish (also known as Chinese radish) makes the sides of a pastrami plate on the beef cheeks. And vinegar from pickles jars is an important ingredient in spiny pears and saffron kombucha.
Fermentation and preservation, as a delicious way to minimize food waste, is central to Scully’s culinary spirit and “a conscious approach to eating,” he says. I live a long time pickle (literally). Website; Directions
Little Duck The Pick Rally (Dalston)
68 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH
This East London spot, the founder of Soho’s ducks, is a restaurant, wine bar and fermented kitchen that offers an incredible variety of preserved products to cook and take home. Given the location, Little Duck is a small plate restaurant serving natural wines, so you can try out the pickles on offer and wash them off with (deliberately) fermented wine.
Most of the menu options include some form of pickle or fermentation. Think green chili, oregano, mint pickle fennel. Courgette Achar; Sauerkraut with black carrot cardamom and coriander seeds. My favorite recent dishes on the menu are chicken legs with green olives, preserved lemon, bulger wheat and yogurt. Little Duck also sells sauerkraut, radish beans, spring onion kimchi, lime pickles, fermented hot sauce, and various kombucha and vinegar to take home. Website; Directions
At home
Silt pickles
Founded in London in 2021 by Friends Ashlinghouse and Temiorg Benga, Silt sells ready-made pickles liquids and runs a masterclass on how to create seasonal pickles at home.
Pre-made liquids remove the most time-consuming element of making your own pickles, preventing the house from smelling with vinegar and allowing you to soak whatever your mind wants. It may seem strange to buy pickle-free products, but the liquid can be used twice (and once for a marinade) and you can try storing it while tidying up the fridge. Ringhus said that business success is partly recognized by the increased perception that there are so many types of fruits and vegetables that make delicious pickles than the relatively narrow range traditionally available.
Brines comes in five flavors. Scotch bonnet and lemon. Balsamic and basil. Juniper and Sage. Spice apple with cinnamon and cardamom. And dill and mustard. The SYLT website also offers a comprehensive guide to what to pickle each season, along with recipes using final pickled products. The first thing I tried out one of the liquids was the scotch bonnet and lemon spicy margarita (not because of health benefits).
Sylt also offers pickle classes, where they teach a short history of pickles. Participants then practiced the theory by pickling various fruits and vegetables that were offered recipe suggestions. Website
Panzer Deli & Grocery (St. John’s Wood)
13-19 Circus Road, London NW8 6pb
Panzer, a pillar of the facilities and Jewish community in the capital in North London, has been the go-to spot for pickle purists for more than 80 years.
Opened in 1944 by Austrian refugees Panzer and his Czech business partner Walter Vogl, the deli has since been one of the top places to find traditional Jewish cuisine in London. Currently there are grocery stores, delis and cafes. There is a sushi counter.
For centuries, pickles, a staple of the Ashkenazi Jewish diet, were routinely preserved in the last family throughout the harsh winters of Eastern European ghettos and settlements. Some of London’s most authentic pickles are sold in Panzer along with difficult products from around the world. Finding an entire pickled cucumber is difficult, and most people prefer to buy sliced ones that are sandwich-ready. However, Panzer’s sells several varieties of whole pickled vegetables. My favorite is the classic pickled cucumber, but I was able to spend the entire afternoon snake-by-way around Panzer. Website; Directions
Vadas
Vadasz began trading at the London Food Market in 2009 and currently sells a variety of pickles in supermarkets in the UK. Traditional products such as garlic and dill sauerkraut and fresh pickled red onions are inspired by founder Nick Vadas’ Hungarian roots and family recipes. His ancestors fled Hungary after the Soviet invasion in 1956, and continued their journey with them, taking a large amount of pickles. Eventually they built a house in Kent, where Vadas grew up, and had a meal with a side of pickled cucumbers and sauerkraut. “The Vadas Pickles, which I enjoy today, can come back to my grandmother’s kitchen. As a child, I helped prepare fresh pickles with schnitzel, paprika and gliche (gourash),” he says.
Vadasz branches out into other fermented products such as Kimchi and Hot Sauce, and is rated at over £16 million. He also just published a book about pickles. The majority of the brand’s success owes to its pickle methods. Because we use cold brine and lacto fermentation, the end result is a sharper, crisp, sharp flavour compared to other supermarket products that are often heat treated. Vadasz’s pineapple and turmeric Sauerkraut and Super-Beet Kimchi are some of my favorite pickled products available on supermarket shelves. Website
In your opinion, who is London’s most delicious pickles? Share your recommendations in the comments below. Follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @ftglobetrotter
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