Christmas isn’t Christmas without Opies!
www.opiesfoods.com
It’s sure to set a cold shudder down your spine. Christmas is here. The table is set. You go inside the cupboard for that family favourite. But, what? It’s not there? At this stage, facing Christmas without a delicious Pickled Walnut is like trying to eat turkey without cranberry sauce. Unthinkable.
Although you can buy Opies’ Pickled Walnuts all year round, they are definitely an unsung Christmas Hero. They’re a firm family favourite that are typically enjoyed with a festive buffet of cold meats and a cheeseboard. But, Pickled Walnuts don’t have to be reserved as a complement to Christmas cold cuts. Opies are on a mission to provide inspiration of how to make the most from these jarred jewels. A range of recipes that offer creative ideas of how to enjoy Pickled Walnuts is available from www.opiesfoods.com/recipes. Pickled Walnuts are a true all-round ingredient and can help create the Best Ever Sausage Roll, Giant Scotch Egg as well as adding depth of flavour to midweek meals like Cottage Pie, pasta dishes and a risotto.
Pictured L-R: Linguine with Fresh Herbs, Giant Scotch Eggs, Thatched Cottage Pie
As well as being a Christmas crowd-pleased, Pickled Walnuts also have many famous fans. Mary Berry has said she’d “sooner have a Pickled Walnut than a chocolate” whilst in Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers a character demands, on recovering from illness, “a mutton chop and a pickled walnut”. Pickled Walnuts are a regular fixture on many high profile menus too including Fergus Henderson’s St John restaurant, as well as dishes by high profile chefs that include, amongst others, Tommy Banks, Mark Hix, Marcus Wareing and Nathan Outlaw.
If you’re a Pickled Walnut aficionado or new to the Pickled Walnut revolution, don’t miss out. Head down to Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda, Ocado or your local speciality store to stock up. 390g RSP from £2.99.
Pictured L-R: Opies Pickled Walnuts, Buddha Bowl
New to the Pickled Walnut revival? Their distinct flavour and texture always catches out first-time tasters. Whilst retaining that distinct vinegary pickle taste, the walnuts are slightly sweet, with a soft texture that can be somewhat of a surprise. This is why they work just as well as an accompaniment as they do when used as an ingredient to add flavour and ‘meaty’ texture to a whole host of dishes. The secret behind their softness is all down to the harvesting and processing. The nuts are hand-picked from the trees at their absolute prime, whilst still green and before any shell has formed. Then it’s onto the delicate, time-consuming preserving method where the nuts are hand-prepared and left to mature in a closely-guarded secret spiced malt vinegar recipe. The process may be a labour-of-love but this is truly reflected in the sumptuous taste. If you’ve yet to try, you’re definitely missing out!
