Spicy Pickles, Made in Small Batches

There is more than one kind of heat

People say spicy as though it means one thing. In a pickle it does not. Chilli heat is sharp and arrives straight away. Mustard heat goes up through the nose and clears fast. Pepper heat is rounder and sits longer. Which one you want changes which jar you should buy.

• Green chilli: sharp, immediate, the hottest jar we make
• Garlic: peppery rather than sharp, with a sweetness underneath
• Dry mango: medium, with the tang in front of the heat
• Amla: moderate, and mostly there to balance the sourness

Heat without shortcuts

None of these get their heat from chilli extract or from cutting the spice with colour. Whole chillies, whole mustard seed, spices roasted and ground the same day. It costs more and it is the only way the heat tastes of something rather than just burning.

If you are not sure how much you can take

Start with garlic. It reads as bold rather than hot, and almost nobody finds it too much. Move to green chilli once you know you want more. A few pieces of our green chilli pickle are enough to season a full plate, so a 200 g jar lasts longer than you would think.