A jar of gherkins reminds me of the sea around the British Isles – murky, seaweed-green and mysterious – and of that bizarre marine animal, the sea cucumber (though sea gherkin would perhaps be more accurate, given how similar some species look). Gherkins also happen to be one of my favourite foods, though I usually eat them straight from the jar and rarely save any for all those recipes that benefit from their addition, from potato salads to bloody marys.
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I like a gherkin that puckers the mouth with a sour smack to the gustatory cortex. It should also be salty, but not overpoweringly so – some of those I tested tasted of salt, vinegar and not much else. Aromatics such as onion, mustard and dill intensify when pickled, so how much is used needs to be well considered; too much mustard or black pepper, say, catches in the throat, while too much red pepper turns the liquor soupy. Dill, however, is essential.
Ingredients aren’t everything, though. How a product is farmed and processed is the key to quality. Many producers claim their gherkins are packed within 24 hours of picking, to maintain that crucial crunch, while others add calcium chloride, a salt that’s used to keep pickles crisp. It’s considered safe, but is it really needed?
This tasting reminded me how delicious and useful gherkins are, and only enhanced my adoration for this ugly fruit. I save the leftover brine for dressings, to punch up tartare sauce or as a brine for pork chops. Pickle juice is packed with flavour and perfect for cooking, so please don’t just pour it down the drain.
The best supermarket gherkins
Best overall:
Baxters whole gherkins
£1.98 for 600g at Asda (33p/100g)£2.50 for 600g at Morrisons (42p/100g)
★★★★☆
Small and olive green. The jar is packed with dill and mustard seeds, and pieces of pepper. Very sweet at first, then the sourness cuts through, followed by complex mustard and ginger notes, and a fragrant dill finish. An impressively clean ingredients list and a very low salt content (0.86%). And the crunch? Spot on. Incredible value.
Best bargain:
Melis pickled gherkins
£1.80 for 680g at Morrisons (26p/100g)£1.90 for 680g at Asda (28p/100g)
★★★☆☆
Bendy, small and dark green, with a sweet, savoury and piquant flavour from the whole red chilli peppers and garlic cloves (both delicious bonus snacks when you reach the bottom of the jar). Even though they’re pasteurised, there’s a slight lacto-funk, too (either because they’ve started to re-ferment or these are residual flavours from pre-pasteurisation), which I like. Very salty, though (3.75%).
And the rest …
Kühne gourmet gherkins with herbs
£2.85 for 530g at Waitrose (54p/100g)£3 for 530g at Ocado (57p/100g)
★★★★☆
More cornichons than gherkins, so very different from the others tested. Yellowy-green, with a long flavour profile that moves from dill and onion to sourness, salt and, finally, mustard and black pepper. The crunch is perfect, too. A 10th-generation German brand with a simple recipe; the salt content is a little high, but no artificial stuff in here. Good value, given the sheer quality.
Asda pickled gherkins
£1.13 for 680g at Asda (17p/100g)
★★★☆☆
Small, moss-green and with a very tangy flavour and sharp mustard heat. A simple flavour profile with a lovely, celery-like note that lingers. Not too salty, and the crunch is good. Calcium chloride-free, too, which is worth noting for those avoiding additives.
Tesco gherkins
£1.15 for 680g at Tesco (17p/100g)
★★★☆☆
Small, army-green and with a sharp, extra sour flavour and a salty kick. The taste is one-dimensional, but they do the job. Less crunchy and more watery than most, but still good value for a straightforward pickle.
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Morrisons whole gherkins
£1.40 for 680g at Morrisons (21p/100g)
★★★☆☆
Small and knobbly, with a sweet aroma. The flavour also opens with sweetness, moves into a gentle sourness, then a touch of mustard. While there’s nothing to complain about, these don’t offer much in the way of complexity or interest, but, that said, they’re nicely crunchy. A solid, good-value option.
Epicure whole pickles with dill and red pepper
£3.75 for 970g at Tesco (39p/100g)£3.75 for 970g at Ocado (39p/100g)
★★☆☆☆
A good-sized gherkin with a juniper-green hue. Balanced, sweet-sour flavour with strong savoury notes of onion and red pepper, and not over salty. The crunch is OK, but not excellent. Contains “flavourings”. This product won two Great Taste stars in 2022, so perhaps the recipe has changed since?
Mrs Elswood haimisha gherkins
£2.50 for 670g at Sainsbury’s (37p/100g)£2.90 for 670g at Waitrose (43p/100g)
★★☆☆☆
A good-sized, bendy “wally” (as my London-born stepdad used to say) with a golden olive hue. The flavour is dominated by salt, which overwhelms any nuance aside from lingering dill and onion notes. The crunch is decent, though. Mrs Elswood is a heritage brand, founded in 1947, that shows more consideration for sustainability than some. Uses additives, though, which detracts from the overall appeal.
Sainsbury’s pickled gherkins
£1.35 for 340g at Sainsbury’s (40p/100g)
★☆☆☆☆
A cocktail-sized, mossy-hued green gherkin. Has a soupy and quite sweet preserved aroma, with strong capsicum and onion notes. Unfortunately, the spirit vinegar hits harshly at the back of the throat. The crunch is very good, though. These contain sulphites, which are unnecessary additives of potential concern, especially when simpler recipes are tastier.
Dawtona pickled gherkins
£1.94 for 900g at Asda (22p/100g)£2.90 for 900g at Tesco (32p/100g)
☆☆☆☆☆
A decent-sized snozzcumber (as Roald Dahl’s BFG might say), ranging in colour from dark army-green to iridescent yellow chartreuse, but, sadly, I think I had a spoiled jar. There’s a slight saltiness, but it’s overshadowed by a stale flavour that’s hard to ignore, plus the texture is softer and moister than you’d expect. As a result, these are disqualified – sorry.