Pickling Spice, 100g

Pickling Spice, 100g

Pickling spice is a flavourful blend of whole and crushed spices commonly used to season pickled vegetables, brines, and stews. It usually contains a combination of warm, aromatic, and slightly spicy ingredients such as mustard seeds, peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, coriander, and chilli flakes. The exact blend can vary, but the spices are chosen to enhance the depth of flavour in preserved foods.

What is Pickling Spice Used For?

1. Pickling Vegetables

Pickling spice is most commonly used in homemade pickles, where it infuses brines with deep, complex flavours.

How to Use:

• Add 1–2 tablespoons of pickling spice per litre of vinegar-based brine for making pickled cucumbers, carrots, onions, beets, or green beans.
• Works well in fermented pickles such as sauerkraut or kimchi.

2. Brining Meats & Poultry

Pickling spice is often added to brines for meats like corned beef, ham, or poultry. It helps tenderise the meat while infusing it with warm, aromatic notes.

How to Use:

• Add to a saltwater brine when preparing meats for slow cooking.
• Commonly used in making corned beef or brined turkey.

3. Flavouring Soups & Stews

Pickling spice adds depth to hearty soups, broths, and stews, especially those with beef or pork.

How to Use:

• Add a teaspoon of pickling spice to the pot while cooking, wrapped in a muslin cloth or tea infuser to prevent whole spices from floating in the broth.
• Common in New England-style boiled dinners and other slow-cooked meat dishes.

4. Cooking Beans & Lentils

Adding pickling spice when cooking beans or lentils helps enhance their natural earthiness and prevents blandness.

How to Use:

• Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of pickling spice while boiling beans, then remove before serving.

5. Homemade Chutneys & Relishes

Pickling spice can add a fragrant, spiced kick to chutneys, relishes, and spiced fruit preserves.

How to Use:

• Add a pinch to chutney recipes, especially those with apple, mango, or tomato.
• Use it in spiced cranberry sauce for an extra depth of flavour.

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cloves, crushed chillies, black peppercorns, kibbled bay leaf, juniper berries, allspice and kibbled ginger.