Pickles

What Are Pickles?

Pickles are vegetables preserved in vinegar, brine or through fermentation, creating the tangy, savoury flavours that have made them a pantry staple for generations.

Although cucumbers are the best-known example, many vegetables can be pickled, including cabbage, green tomatoes, peppers, onions and mixed seasonal vegetables.

Hungarian cuisine has a particularly rich pickling tradition, where jars of preserved vegetables are commonly served alongside stews, roast meats, sausages and other hearty dishes.

Hungarian Pickling Traditions

Founder Monika Gyenes grew up with pickling as part of everyday home cooking. As a child, she learned from her mother how vegetables were prepared and preserved in large jars for use throughout the year.

That personal connection is one reason she has always looked for Hungarian producers who take a hands-on approach to raw ingredients and follow traditional methods.

From Farm to Jar with Szorgos Gazda

Some pickles in our range, including sauerkraut and fermented cucumbers, are produced by Szorgos Gazda, a small Hungarian grower and producer that cultivates its own vegetables.

The farm uses biointensive growing methods, crop rotation and biological approaches to pest control, while avoiding synthetic crop-protection chemicals. The vegetables are processed without unnecessary additives and preserved using heat treatment.

This farm-to-jar approach gives the products clear provenance and allows the producer to retain close control over the ingredients from cultivation through to the finished jar.

Monika’s Kitchen Pickles

Our Monika’s Kitchen pickles are produced in partnership with Bátyai Savanyító, a family-run Hungarian pickling specialist founded in 2012 from a much earlier family enterprise.

The producer’s roots go back to 2000, when Harangozóné Tordi Mária, a qualified food-preservation engineer, began producing pickles independently. Today, she runs the business with her son, Harangozó Gábor, focusing on smaller-scale production and distinctive recipes rather than mass-market pickles. They grow most of their own raw vegetables and source the remainder from local farmers.

How Are Pickles Made?

Most vinegar-based pickles are made by placing fresh vegetables in an acidic brine containing vinegar, salt, sugar and spices. The brine provides both preservation and the familiar bright, tangy flavour.

Fermented pickles are prepared differently. Instead of relying primarily on vinegar, they develop acidity naturally through lacto-fermentation, producing a softer and more complex sour flavour.

Both methods have long traditions in Hungarian cooking and create very different styles of preserved vegetables.

Traditional Hungarian Pickle Varieties

Our range includes several styles of Hungarian pickles:

  • Csalamádé is a traditional Hungarian mixed pickle, typically combining finely sliced cabbage and other vegetables in a sweet-and-sour brine.
  • Mixed pickles combine several crisp vegetables in one jar for a varied balance of texture, sweetness and acidity.
  • Hot pickled vegetables add chilli heat to the traditional sweet-and-sour pickle profile.
  • Pickled stuffed peppers provide a more substantial, distinctive Hungarian-style accompaniment for cold platters and cooked dishes.
  • Pickled green tomatoes offer a firmer texture and fresh, tangy flavour that works particularly well alongside rich meat dishes.

How to Use Pickles

  • Serve them alongside goulash, paprikash, sausages, roast pork or other rich dishes.
  • Add sliced pickles to burgers, sandwiches and wraps for freshness and acidity.
  • Use them to brighten cheese and charcuterie boards.
  • Add chopped pickles to potato salad, egg salad or other cold dishes.
  • Serve hot pickled vegetables with grilled meats or barbecue dishes.
  • Enjoy mixed pickles or csalamádé as a simple side dish straight from the jar.

Buy Pickles Online in the UK

Explore our selection of traditional pickles, produced by carefully selected Hungarian growers and family-run specialists.

Shop online with tracked UK delivery, with free delivery on orders over £60.