10 oz (275 g) pickling onions, small regular onions or shallots
½ pint (250 ml) water
½ pint (250 ml) cider vinegar
½ tablespoon mustard powder
2 oz (50 g) sugar
½ tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Peel the onions and place them in a bowl with the water and two teaspoons of salt (see note).
2. Leave them covered overnight.
3. Put two medium-sized glass jars and their lids (the lids being separate from the jars) in a pan of water and heat gently until the water is boiling. Boil gently for 5 minutes. Take the jars out of the pan, and stand them upside down on a tea towel. This procedure sterilises the jars.
4. Drain the onions and put them in the sterilised jars.
5. Measure out the vinegar and stir in the mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved.
6. Pour the vinegar mixture over the onions, filling both jars. Leave a quarter inch gap at the top. If you don’t have quite enough mixture you can top it up with a little extra cider vinegar.
7. Screw the lids on tightly and shake the jars well. Keep in the refrigerator for a month;: they will benefit from being shaken every few days.
Note: Use a glass or earthenware bowl so that it doesn’t absorb the smell of the onions.
Variations: Garlic cloves can also be pickled in this way. They are much milder than one might expect, but they will have to be kept in the fridge twice as long as the onions, before they are ready to be eaten.