Pickles, eh? The Branston variety is jarred and perfect for sandwiches. This one is as legendary as Worcestershire sauce and is an epic pickled chutney.

But what’s it all about? Well, we’re here to explain to you non-English folks why you need a bit of Branston in your lives.

What’s Branston Pickle?

Branston Pickle is a pickled chutney that’s in a jar, consisting of diced vegetables such as swede (rutabaga), carrots, onions, and cauliflower.

They’re all pickled in a sauce made from vinegar, tomato, apples, and various spices.

The result is a, sort of, sweet and spicy little number with tangy elements. It goes very well with cheese and is a common spread on sandwiches.

The brand uses the slogan “Bring Out the Branston” as its marketing campaign, celebrating its effectiveness with cheeses in various ads.

And it’s good! Branston Pickle is mega tasty and is the stuff of dreams for a brown bread sandwich, with the crusts on, and a bit of cheese. Proper belting!

It’s very popular as well, with up to 17 million jars of the stuff disappearing off UK shelves each and every year.

However, Branston also makes other foodstuffs.

Perhaps most notably are its Branston baked beans, which are locked into a hellish war with Heinz baked beans for victor of the Best Baked Beans award.

And you know what? As legendary as Heinz is, we think Branston may well have the edge.

The History of Branston Pickle

Branston Pickle has existed since 1922. Its production began in a small village called Branston in Burton upon Trent of Staffordshire.

The company Crosse & Blackwell was responsible for it for many decades. Its factory was later moved into London to be more effective at churning out the chutney.

It used these factories from 1924 through to 1969, although that building has now been transformed into a block of flats.

During that time Branston Pickle became something of a firm family favourite, with 1970s TV ads playing on this homely, rustic quality.

Just check out this grinning lunatic of a housewife right here. Branston did that to her.

It was eventually voted as one of the top 50 UK brands in 1999, such is the enduring popularity of the chutney.

However, the Mizkan Group now owns the brand after a £92.5 million buyout in 2013.

Although it’s still made in England in Bury St. Edmunds, the recipe is also shipped to over 50 countries around the world.

That includes North America, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, France, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

So there you go, if you want to try this out then you can do. As it’s invaded the world like a plague of pickled vegetable bits.

How Do You Make Branston Pickle?

Boo! Hiss! It’s not Jamie Oliver! WTF!? Well, Oliver hasn’t made any pickled chutney videos. We guess he’s too busy off being a supermodel or something.

Anyway, the instructions are up there for you to follow. Typically, the ingredients will be as follows:

Malt vinegar,
Brown sugar,
Onions,
Carrots,
Rutabaga,
Dates,
Salt,
Cauliflower,
Apples,
Zucchini,
Cucumbers,
Garlic,
Vinegar,
Worcestershire sauce,
Sugar,
Salt,
Onions,
Garlic.

Quite the list, isn’t it? So you can cobble that lot together if you want.

Or! You can just go to the shop and buy a jar of Branston Pickle. Bring Out the Branston! And all that jazz.

Don’t forget to do all that whilst grinning inanely. It’s the British way of things.