Quick pickled onions

These colourful, spiced sweet and sour onions add piquancy to a ploughman’s, or a sharp finish to Mexican food - an ideal edible gift to make ahead and pop in a homemade hamper.

Ingredients

• 300ml cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 6 black peppercorns
• 6 coriander seeds
• 1 star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 small red onions, sliced into rings

Method

1. Pour the vinegar into a pan, add the sugar, sea salt, the spices and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. After 1 min, check that the sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from the heat.
2. Boil the kettle. Put the onion slices in a sieve or colander. Pour over the hot water from the kettle and drain well. When cool enough to handle, pack the onion rings into a 500g sterilised jar (see tip below). Pour over the warm vinegar and seal. Cool, then chill and leave to pickle for 2 hrs. Will keep for 6 months unopened, or 2 weeks in the fridge once opened.

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