Quick Pickled Summer Vegetables

Quick pickles are one of my favourite ways to add colour, flavour and plant variety without reinventing a meal. They can make everyday eating feel more interesting and enjoyable, which counts for a lot in my book.

Bright and still slightly crunchy, they are a lovely light way to use the elderflower vinegar I made a couple of weeks ago, but you can use apple cider or white wine vinegar if you haven’t.

THE SECRET INGREDIENT: Time.

Leaving the vegetables to sit allows them to soften slightly and absorb the floral sharpness of the elderflower vinegar while still keeping their crunch. Sometimes the best flavour comes not from adding more, but from giving ingredients a little time to get to know each other better.

Serves: 2

Prep and cook time: 10 minutes to prep, plus some time for it to sit - 30 minutes to 2 days

Ingredients

2 tbsp elderflower vinegar, or use apple cider or white wine vinegar instead

1 tsp golden or light brown sugar

A good pinch or two of sea salt

5 radishes, finely sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

1 medium-large new season’s summer carrot, peeled into long ribbons or thinly sliced

¼ cucumber, thinly sliced

½ small or ¼ large fennel bulb, very finely sliced

1 good tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped, to serve

2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped (or use other fresh leafy herbs of choice), to serve

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to serve

Method:

Whisk together the elderflower vinegar, sugar and sea salt until the sugar dissolves.

Add the vegetables and turn them all well, to coat them in the vinegar.

Leave them for at least 30 minutes, at room temperature. This allows the vegetables to soften slightly and absorb the floral sharpness of the vinegar while still retaining plenty of crunch. You can eat them this quickly or leave them for longer (which I personally prefer, 1-2 days is my sweet spot), kept in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. I usually give them an extra turn or so to make sure they’re evenly pickling.

Just before serving, scatter over the dill and mint and drizzle over a little olive oil.

Ways to use them:

• Alongside grilled fish or cooked poultry

• Piled onto an open cheese sandwich

• Tossed through cooked and cooled noodles with tamari and lime for a quick lunch

• Stirred through butter beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas or lentils for an easy light meal

• Served as part of a mixed salad plate

• Alongside eggs or an omelette, or scrambled tofu (great even for breakfast!)

• Tucked into sandwiches and wraps

• With new potatoes

• As part of a summer picnic spread or BBQ side