Richard with his entry to this year’s Pickle Wars. Picture by Peter Boam.
GARDENINGTHIS year, the plan is to break my duck and celebrate the tenth anniversary of the annual Pickle Wars, never having quite got there in previous years.
As Jamie Oliver would undoubtedly say, my jar of 'bad boys’ are ready to take on all comers in the charity contest at Gurnard’s Woodvale Hotel on January 29.
All manner of exotic concoctions are used to spice up the taste of the pickles from the world’s hottest chillies to secret blends of spices. Sometimes they are bright green.
I have a secret ingredient in my jar of allotment-grown onions and it will be interesting to see if the judges can identify it.
I commend to all using runt onions that failed to develop properly or, preferably, shallots for pickling.
Shallots are built for the job. They certainly have their place in cooking too and could not be easier to grow.
Shallot yellow moon is one of my favourite all-rounders. It has that onion shape, where some varieties now are too elongated to sit happily in a jar, has excellent thin skin and, in these times of surprisingly dry summers, it is resistant to bolting.
Depending on soil conditions, shallots can be planted from now onwards. Soil should be firm but it is not the best idea to plunge them in to heavy, saturated soil.
Like onions, they should be planted about six inches apart but, unlike onions, they have the fascinating ability to form multiples from the original.
This year, I did not bother with shallots, relying on the odd real onion that failed to flourish.
Sadly, from the pickling point of view, it was a good year for onions. Most were above average in size, some were monsters and only a handful were small enough for the jar.
Hence, this time, the one year that I am determined to enter, I was able to muster just one jar for the contest, which, as it turned out, was a huge mistake, because we were forced to buy a well-known brand to go with the Boxing Day cold cuts and Stilton and I have to say they were not nice.
A slimy pickled onion is not something that will ever set the taste buds alight, as Terry Ashdown will tell you — and he knows his onions.
The event is the brainchild of Terry, who, ten years ago, challenged fellow regulars at the Woodvale to produce a better pickled onion than him and so pickled onion war was declared.
The first two years were just for fun but when Terry’s grandson, Daniel, who is now nine, was born with a rare, life-threatening liver disease, Terry and his friends wanted to do something to help and the event became a fundraiser as well as a lot of fun.
"The Children’s Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) has been a great support to Terry and his family," explained event organiser, Lee Taylor.
"It is the only UK charity dedicated to fighting all liver diseases of childhood and although Daniel is well at the moment, there are many other children like him and we’re keen to help support those families and fund research into the causes of childhood liver disease.
"This event is now in its 11th year and we’re fortunate enough to benefit from generous raffle prizes from local businesses, not to mention some highly creative pickle entries.
"Our regulars get really competitive when it comes to the Pickle Wars and the judges will need a strong constitution to make their way through all the contenders."
While the Pickled Onion Wars is free to attend, a raffle, auction and donations from every pint of beer helps to raise funds for the foundation. Lee is confident the support of the community will ensure a healthy total.
My jar will be among more than 40 that judges with strong stomachs and tastebuds to match will have to get through.
• More information on CLDF visit www.childliverdisease.org
• More on Pickle Wars at www.picklewars.co.uk