The Christmas countdown is on and Sarson’s vinegar have launched their new pickling jar. The all-in-one jar has been designed to give plenty of room for all your vegetables alongside delicious ready-spiced pickling juices made with Sarson’s time-honoured recipe.

It is a great idea, both for keeping for yourself or also to create home made gifts, such as a ‘Pickle-mix’ jar for a  homemade gift or pickled delicacies for the Christmas spread. Sarson’s pickled festive cocktail recipes are also an idea to consider from the warming pickled hot toddy to a delicious spiced Moscow Mule.

I had the opportunity to try out the Pickling Jar; since using Oddbox I often have a lot of vegetables that I do not know what to do with (mooli, anyone?) or way too many of (there’s only so much beetroot I can roast) so I have been experimenting with preserving a lot, pickling being one of the methods I have tried out.

Of course, there’s quick pickle, spiced pickled and so on… but to use a pre-spiced pickling vinegar is a pretty cool idea if you’re pressed for time or if – like me – you have a husband that complains about that strong vinegary smells that permeates the kitchen when you’re boiling the stuff to prepare for pickling.

While there’s fun to have in choosing spices and herbs as well as vinegars and additions, opening up a jar of ready made pickling vinegar is just so easy! I had a bunch of carrots, cucumbers and beetroot and one mooli, so I cut them up, gave them a quick boil following my friend Danilo Cortellini‘s giardiniera recipe and once, cooled and patted dry, I placed them in a sterilised jar and covered with Sarson’s Pickling Vinegar …et voila’!

Very quick and easy, it’s a brilliant idea for those short on time or not brave enough for trying their own pickling solution.