Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread and butter pickles are the sweet-and-spicy pickle of American sandwiches – crisp, golden and easy to make.

1. Slice the cucumber into thin rounds of about 3 mm, and the onion into half rings.

2. Salt them in layers in a bowl and let them stand for 1 hour – this draws out the excess water, which keeps them crisp.

3. Rinse the salt off them in a sieve and drain them thoroughly.

4. Bring the vinegar to the boil with the granulated sugar, the mustard seeds and the turmeric, and stir until the sugar dissolves completely.

5. Add the cucumber and the onion and just bring it back to the boil – do NOT cook it any longer, or it softens and loses its crunch.

6. Pour it into scalded jars together with the liquid, seal them, and put them in the fridge once cooled.

Tip: This is not the Hungarian salty-dill fermented cucumber but a sweet-and-spicy one. It is at its best after about 2 days' maturing, and keeps in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.