I was with schoolfriends, we were on a canal boat holiday, cruising the backwaters of England in a narrowboat. Each day ended up with us mooring in the middle of nowhere, and seeking out the nearest pub. This particular evening, the pub sold pickled onions, and bottles of beers from a local brewery that we had not heard of. So my mates and I decided that it would be a good idea to sample all of the different types of beer on offer from said brewery, with a pickled onion between each one to refresh the palate. I don't remember the end of the evening as the memories fade out into a drunken mist, but I do remember the state of my mouth the next day. Bottom of a birdcage doesn't come close.
Anyway, the good harvest of shallots this year has prompted me to pickle some of them. The smallest shallots I am keeping to replant next year, and the biggest ones are for cooking. It's the medium-sized ones that are getting pickled. They're pretty much like onions so I am expecting the same pleasure on eating them.
The recipe is from the River Cottage handbook on preserves, using the option of almost no honey, and slight changes to the spice mix (can't get mace here). I'll know the result in a few weeks. Fingers crossed.
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