The humble pickled onion, long associated with classic pub culture, the ploughman\u2019s lunch and cold festive buffets, is enjoying a revival as Britain\u2019s appetite for pickles grows.<\/p>\n
About 8.5m UK households bought pickled onions over the past year, according to the consumer data firm Worldpanel by Numerator, with particularly strong momentum in recent months.<\/p>\n
In the 12 weeks to early August, the value of pickled onion sales rose 12% year on year, compared with 4% growth across total grocery. While higher prices have contributed to the increase, demand is strengthening, with about 300,000 more households buying them and more than 550,000 additional shopping trips made to buy them.<\/p>\n
Pickles are more broadly moving beyond their traditional role as a side or accompaniment to become a flavour and ingredient in their own right.<\/p>\n
Michelin-star chefs are even using them in their dishes, and this weekend marks the launch of London\u2019s first major festival dedicated to pickling and fermentation: the Big Brine.<\/p>\n
James Goodyear, the head chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Gordon Ramsay High, said: \u201cThere\u2019s a resurgence happening around pickling and preserving right now. Palates have evolved, so diners are naturally craving that sharp, mouthwatering punch of acidity and crunch to cut through richer dishes. Between social media demystifying the craft and a growing curiosity around gut health and natural fermentation, people are far more eager to explore beyond the basic supermarket jar.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said guests cared about \u201csustainability\u201d, and having \u201cjars quietly working away on the shelves\u201d was a \u201csmarter way of running a restaurant\u201d. He added: \u201cIt lets us celebrate every single part of an ingredient and completely rethink surplus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molly Scanlan, 39, from London is attending the Big Brine this weekend with her son and has noticed newer pickle brands in the supermarket. She \u201ceven noticed in a meal deal\u201d recently the option of a \u201cplastic sachet of snacking cornichons\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pickling enables restaurants to \u2018celebrate every single part of an ingredient\u2019. Photograph: olgakr\/Getty Images\/iStockphoto<\/p>\n
Ocado data shows the pickles, gherkins and olives category is up 30% year on year, while fresh pickled and fermented products have grown 16%. Some individual products have had even more dramatic increases, including raw organic fresh ginger and lemon sauerkraut, up 393%, Opies cocktail gherkins, up 305%, Baxters sliced beetroot, up 246%, and Epicure spicy crinkle-cut pickles, up 242%.<\/p>\n
Scanlan has been a fan of pickled foods from a young age. She says her son loves pickles, too, and he also likes kimchi.<\/p>\n
Gherkins are Scanlan\u2019s longstanding favourite, but she says there is a growing interest in a much wider range of fermented foods, with products such as kimchi and sauerkraut becoming more widely available. Part of the appeal, she says, is that \u201cyou can pickle anything\u201d.<\/p>\n
Matt Harris, the founder of Pickle Project, a London-based food brand that makes small-batch, handcrafted pickles using an ultrasonic brining process, said the brand had been created to bring \u201cenergy and fun\u201d to what he described as an old-fashioned category. \u201cDespite pickles having \u2018a moment\u2019, what\u2019s available on supermarket shelves is very traditional,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Harris has introduced flavours such as deli dill pickle chips, while also experimenting with ultrasound technology to extract flavours from herbs and spices during the brining process. The brand has launched with Ocado and Whole Foods Market, and Harris said it had experienced \u201chuge growth\u201d over the past nine months.<\/p>\n