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Branston Pickle
by Bellroyd
Really rather cross indeed, is the answer! More later.
Like so many of us, I love Branston Pickle. I have it in sandwiches with cheese, with ham or by itself. I also like some Branston on my Cornish Pasty. There are a whole host of ideas as to how you can eat your Branston on the greatlittleideas.com website - that's my next ... stop!
We normally buy the big jar when it's on offer and we try not to let ourselves run out of it. However, we did run out, for which I blame my wife and, knowing I was cross with her, she came back from the shop with a little plastic 400g squeezy jar of Branston Small Chunk Pickle.
I was temporarily in better mood and although I prefer the bigger chunks, it was the same lovely taste and after a week or so, I forgave my wife for her heinous crime.
But.....and it's a Big But (not my wife's, I hasten to add).... the problem arose when I neared the end of the jar, when there was not enough left in the jar to squeeze out. I had been worrying about this, but had been reassured to note that in addition to the 18mm aperture through which the pickle is to be squeezed, there was a screw off lid as well.
One evening last week, feeling a bit peckish I decided to hoover up a pasty that had been kicking around the fridge for a few days. In fact, it had started to move by itself, so I needed plenty of Branston to disguise the taste if it had gone off a bit. I knew that there was just enough Branston left in the jar for a measly but otherwise acceptable portion.
The situation deteriorated quickly. Unable to squeeze out what I could see was there, I unscrewed the lid which was all blocked up with pickle. I grabbed a knife and tried to scrape it out. I was able to access some of it, but the rest of it was firmly stuck up under the lid and I couldn't get at it. By now, my pasty was getting colder and I could feel the heckles rise on the back of my neck. In a fit of pique, I went to my tool box, grabbed my hacksaw and sawed through the plastic to get to the last bit.
Now OK, that was a bit over the top, but I HATE IT when manufacturers make it difficult to get the product out of their containers.
Like so many good things, the product is a simple one. It's just a vegetable pickle at the end of the day, but it's the tangy flavour that seems to endear it to the great British Public.
And have my adverse experiences with the inaccessible pickle put me off Branston?
Absolutely not! I will always love it, but I will be buying it in the big jar only from now on.
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