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Spiced Christmas piccallili

A dish serving spiced Christmas piccallili with sliced figs and stilton next to the bowl

Spiced Christmas piccallili

Name: Spiced Christmas piccallili
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Makes 1.4 litres (about 3 jars)
Ingredients: 5 carrots (about 400g), chopped into 1cm pieces; 2 beetroots (about 300g), chopped into 1cm pieces; 2 eating apples cored, peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces; 1 small red onion finely chopped; 1 red chilli finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced; 1 tsp mustard seeds; 1 tsp black peppercorns crushed; 1 tsp cloves; 1 cinnamon stick broken in half; 100g dried cranberries; 300g demerara sugar; 450ml apple cider vinegar; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp ground allspice; 1 tsp ground ginger; 2 tbsp plain flour

Cassie Best

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Makes 1.4 litres (about 3 jars)

Easy

Prep: 30 mins

Cook: 15 mins

plus at least 4 hrs brining and 2 weeks maturing

A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratingsRate

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A sweet, sharp pickle is a must-have at Christmas, and homemade is always superior to shop-bought. Be sure to wear gloves when preparing the beetroot to avoid purple-stained fingers!

Low fat

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

5 carrots

(about 400g), chopped into 1cm pieces
2 beetroots

(about 300g), chopped into 1cm pieces
2 eating apples

cored, peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces
1 small red onion

finely chopped
1 red chilli

finely chopped
2 garlic cloves

thinly sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns

crushed
1 tsp cloves
1 cinnamon stick

broken in half
100g dried cranberries
300g demerara sugar
450ml apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp plain flour

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Nutrition: Per tbsp

kcal21
fat0.1g

low
saturates0g
carbs5g
sugars4g
fibre0.3g
protein0.2g
salt0.06g

Method

step 1

Put the carrots and beetroot in a large bowl and toss with 1 tsp sea salt. Cover and leave at room temperature for 4-6 hrs (or overnight) to soften slightly and draw out the moisture.
step 2

Sterilise the jars. Rinse the veg to remove any excess salt, then tip into a large pan with the apples, onion, chilli, garlic, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick and cranberries. Add the sugar, vinegar, bay leaves and 150ml water, and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
step 3

Scoop 50ml of the hot liquid into a small heatproof bowl and whisk in the ground spices and flour until you have a smooth paste. (Add a little more liquid to loosen, if needed.) Stir the paste into the pan and simmer for 5 mins, stirring until the mixture has thickened slightly and the carrots have softened but still retain a little bite.
step 4

Spoon the hot pickle into the warm sterilised jars, packing it in tightly and making sure all the solids are covered by the liquid. Seal the jars while hot, then leave to mature in a cool, dark place for at least two weeks for the best flavour. Will keep in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Once opened, chill and eat within a month.

Our choice of cheese: Pevensey Blue

With its spicy warmth and fruitiness, our pickle accentuates the mellow blue tang of this cheese. It’s a creamy, soft-textured blue with a delicate savoury-salty balance and gentle peppery spice. pevenseycheese.co.uk

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2025

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