Auntie Caroline'S Pickled Onions & Chutneys

PICKLED ONIONS & CHUTNEYS homemade in The Cotswolds

I’ve been in love with pickled onions since I was a child — I hid jars under my bed and ate them before I went to sleep. At family gatherings I’d fill my plate with them and sit in a corner eating, then convince others to pile extra on their plate, all for me.

I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect pickled onion my whole life, and in the end I decided to make them myself. I held pickled onion tasting parties where serious pickled onion fans could indulge their obsession — huge jars would be emptied in one night.

I’d been giving them to friends and family as Christmas presents for years, and when my new husband tasted them (also a fan), he convinced me that they had to be sold. And so, in October 2013, Auntie Caroline’s Pickled Onions went on sale in Cirencester, and started flying off the shelves.

My onions really are the best you will ever get — unlike other onions, mine are made with a blend of vinegars. They are always crunchy, and ready to eat within a week. The longer you leave them, the hotter they will be, but they tend not to last very long. Highly addictive, many of my customers can eat the whole jar in one sitting. And then call me for more.

I started doing chutneys in January 2014. Unlike other chutneys that seem to blend all the ingredients into mush, I like to taste exactly what’s in a chutney, feel the different textures, and get several sensations in one mouthful.

And I like to make people happy, so each chutney has its own unusual name, which will make you smile (and sometimes make you blush! ). Each jar has its own little fabric “hat, ” so together they look lovely in a row. I can take requests for fabric themes, and gift baskets can be made to order.

I’m always coming up with new recipes, so please get in touch if you have a favourite chutney you’d like me to try out for you.

Enjoy!
Auntie Caroline