Branston Pickle (Copycat) – The Daring Gourmet

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Branston Pickle is a national icon, a classic taste Great Britain. A tradition for generations, it’s inseparable from the cheese sandwich or ploughman’s lunch. This homemade Branston Pickle recipe captures that nostalgic flavor that you know and love!

For a taste of nostalgia, nothing conjures up memories of Great Britain quite like a cheese sandwich with Branston Pickle. It’s a flavor that instantly flashes to life the moment I think of it and I can smell and taste it so clearly in my mind. During the 7 years I lived in England it became a frequent practice whenever I was out shopping to pop into the local sandwich shop or head to the sandwich section of the grocery store or Boots pharmacy. Favorite sandwiches included the roasted vegetable sandwich on tomato bread, coronation chicken, the French Connection (alas, this bap shop is no more), turkey and coleslaw, and for a timeless British classic: a cheese and pickle sandwich featuring aged English Cheddar and Branston pickle. So simple yet so satisfying. Every time I visit England I bring a jar or two of Branston pickle back with me. Today I’m sharing my copycat recipe with you, because you know when it comes to all things sauces, condiments and seasonings, I simply can’t resist.

What is Branston Pickle?

Branston pickle is a popular sweet and tangy British condiment commonly used as a sandwich spread. It features a nice balance of sweet, savory and tangy with deep umami notes. While some refer to it as a relish, it’s really more of a chutney because of its thick texture and its sweet and complex flavor profile consisting of vegetables, fruits and a variety of spices. Branston is the brand name of the original creation, made in the town of Branston in Staffordshire in 1922 by the manufacturer Crosse & Blackwell. Generic brands often refer to it as ploughman’s pickle because it is typically served with a ploughman’s lunch, a traditional rustic meal of bread, cheese and ham with classic accompaniments of English pickled onions, butter and Branston pickle.  

There’s the Branston “original” as well as “small chunk” version, the latter being more finely minced. In this Branston Pickle recipe you have full control over the size of the chunks.

Branston Pickle Ingredients

Let’s take a look at the list of ingredients in the commercially-made Branston Pickle: Vegetables in Variable Proportions (52%) (Carrot, Swede, Onion, Cauliflower), Sugar, Malt Vinegar, Water, Spirit Vinegar, Tomato Purée, Date Paste, Salt, Apple Pulp, Modified Maize Starch, Colouring, Onion Powder, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Spices, Herb and Spice Extracts.

And here’s what you’ll need for our copycat Branston pickle recipe:

• Carrots, Swede (called rutabaga in the U.S.), Onion and Cauliflower: These are the only vegetables in Branston pickle and they each contribute a unique and critical flavor component. Don’t be tempted to omit or substitute the rutabaga, your pickle will not taste like its supposed to without it.
• Brown Sugar: This contributes both color and flavor depth.
• Malt Vinegar: A very traditional British vinegar that’s synonymous with fish and chips, malt vinegar is made from malted barley and has a distinct tangy, nutty and slightly sweet flavor. It’s also the vinegar that’s used for those classic English pickled onions you used to find in every pub. Again, if you’re wanting this pickle to taste as much as possible like Branston’s avoid any substitutes and be sure to use malt vinegar.
• Spirit Vinegar: How does this differ from regular white distilled vinegar? Spirit vinegar contains up to 20% acetic acid whereas white distilled vinegar contains 5-8%. In short, spirit vinegar is far more potent. And you can’t achieve the same result by simply using more of the 5-8% vinegar. Spirit vinegar is a great choice because it has the ability to cut through the other ingredients and sweetness, giving your Branston Pickle it’s characteristic edginess and acidic “bite”. Spirit vinegar can be a little challenging to find. I use a German brand called Essig Essenz which you can buy on Amazon as well as in many Asian grocery stores (Koreans often use it for adding to pickled vegetables). It’s the same vinegar that’s used in a lot of German salads, including my German Potato Salad and German Cucumber Salad, and it’s great for adding a splash to your vinaigrettes.
• Tomato Paste: This is concentrated tomato puree and it adds a wonderful depth and dose of umami. Rather than open up an entire can for just a small amount, I like to buy it in screw-top tubes.
• Dates: The store-bought stuff using date paste, so we’re pureeing our Medjool dates before adding them to the pot. In addition to the fruity flavor and sweetness, the puree will contribute color and texture.
• Apple: The store-bought version uses apple pulp, so we’re pureeing the apple before adding it to the pot. This will likewise contribute to the texture of the finished pickle.
• Lemon Juice: For flavor and brightness.
• Spices: The store-bought version only specifies onion powder while keeping the rest proprietary in the form of “herb and spice extracts”, which is a loophole to mean anything. I’ve experimented and done taste tests with different herbs and spices and for mimicking the flavor of Branston Pickle I’ve concluded that the following do the trick: onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, ground coriander, ground allspice, ground ginger, ground cloves and salt.
• Worcestershire Sauce: This helps achieve a needed umami element to add savory depth in contrast to the sweetness and tanginess.
• Black Treacle or Molasses: The store-bought stuff uses “colouring” and black treacle/molasses does that along with adding a nice depth of flavor.
• Cornstarch or Pectin: Both of these are optional and I explain below in the recipe how to use them if you decide that you want your pickle to be thicker.

Disclaimer: While it’s not possible to make this look and taste exactly like the store-bought stuff, the flavor is pretty darn close. Without the chemicals in the commercial product that are used for coloring, your homemade Branston pickle is not going to be as dark in color and without the “modified” corn starch the texture won’t be as viscous. But don’t worry, the flavor is there – and without all the junk ingredients. A double win. If you like Branston pickle, I’m confident you’re going to love how this tastes.

How to Make Ploughman’s Pickle

The process of making Branston pickle, aka ploughman’s pickle, is an easy one. The vegetables are chopped to your desired size, the dates and apple are pureed, and these are all placed in a pot along with the vinegars, sugar and spices and simmered for 1-2 hours until the mixture is nicely thickened without the vegetables disintegrating.

The pickle can then be stored in jars in the fridge (for about a month) or frozen for longer (up to 4 months).

Why Isn’t It Dark Like Branston’s?

As I mentioned in the ingredients above, without the “colouring” chemicals used in the commercially-produced product you’re not going to be to get that same dark color at home. If you really want it darker, you can add some browning sauce at the end, such as a product called “Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce” that contains caramel color. But adding a commercial product like that with chemicals and preservatives in it to your homemade Branston pickle kind of defeats the purpose. My recommendation: never mind the color, focus on the flavor. And I’m confident you’ll love it as much as I do!

Branston Pickle Recipe

Let’s get started!

Chop the swede/rutabaga, carrots, cauliflower and onions and place them in medium-sized pot.

As mentioned earlier, there are two version of Branston Pickle: “original” and “small chunk”. You can make whichever version you prefer by either dicing your vegetables larger or smaller. I like to do a combination of the two. A favorite gadget that I’ve had for many years is the Vidalia Chop Wizard. I love the perfectly uniform squares it makes (among other things I use it for making things like Dill Pickle Relish and Corn Relish) and it comes with two grate sizes.

Place the apple, prunes and lemon juice in a blender and puree until smooth.

Add the apple/date puree to the pot along with the brown sugar, malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, treacle/molasses, and the spices.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the mixture is reduced in volume, thick and darker (but the vegetables still retain their shape without becoming mush). How long this takes will depend on the size and type of your pot, your cooktop, and the temperature. Stir frequently towards the end to prevent the mixture from scorching.

Taste and add more salt, vinegar and/or sugar as needed.

At this point you can make a decision about the texture depending on your preference. If it’s thick enough to your liking you can leave it as it is. (Note that the pickle will thicken up a little when it cools.) If you prefer it thicker and you’ve let it simmer for as long as you can without the vegetables disintegrating, you can either add some cornstarch dissolved in a little water (2 teaspoons dissolved in a tablespoon of water, or more cornstarch if needed) or add some pectin (like Ball Classic RealFruit powdered pectin). In both cases return the pickle to a boil for 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the Branston pickle into clean jars and seal them. Allow them to fully cool and then store the jars in the fridge where the pickle will keep for about a month. For the best flavor, allow it to sit for a few days before using to give the flavors time to develop.

Is This Safe for Canning?

Many recipes with a similar ratio of ingredients recommend the water bath method to can this. However, these recipes, including my own, have not been tested for canning (pH level or whether the heat can adequately penetrate the center of the thick contents) and so I cannot in good conscience recommend it. Instead, for longer-term storage I recommend freezing it in small quantities so you can conveniently take out what you need. It will freeze for up to 4 months.

How to Use Branston Pickle

As with many chutneys and relishes, Branston pickle is pretty versatile. Here are just a few ways you can use it:

• In sandwiches and wraps (cheddar and Branston pickle is classic)
• On grilled cheese sandwiches or ham and cheese melts
• On burgers and hot dogs
• With meat pies
• In tuna or chicken salad
• With roast chicken, turkey or pork
• With cold ham
• On avocado toast
• In ham and cheese quesadillas
• With Scotch Eggs
• In ham and cheese roll-ups
• On cheese slices, with baked brie, or as part of your charcuterie board

For more homemade chutneys, relishes and spreads try my: