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At number nine, our menus are around care, balance, and the quiet details that elevate a dish. One of those details is our homemade piccalilli, a vibrant, gently spiced accompaniment that brings brightness, crunch and warmth to the plate.
Piccalilli is all about preparation and patience. It begins with fresh vegetables, cauliflower, celery, onion and cucumber, carefully chopped and lightly cured overnight in salt and black pepper.
This simple step draws out excess moisture, ensuring the perfect texture and bite. The flavour comes together in a gently simmered blend of cider vinegar and sugar, thickened with cornflour and layered with turmeric, mustard powder, ginger and a subtle pinch of chilli. Once glossy and aromatic, the vegetables are folded through and briefly warmed, allowing them to absorb the spice while retaining their crunch.
The result is a beautifully balanced piccalilli, sharp, lightly sweet, gently spiced and unmistakably comforting. Prepared in-house, it’s designed to complement our dishes rather than overpower them, adding depth and contrast in all the right places.
If you’ve enjoyed this with us, or would like to recreate a little of number nine at home, here’s how we make our piccalilli.
600g cauliflower florets, small
300g diced celery
500g diced white onion
500g diced cucumber, seeds removed
100g table salt
10 twists of black pepper
8 tbsp cornflour
150g caster sugar
2 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 litre cider vinegar
Pinch of chilli flakes
Prep all vegetables, mix with salt and black pepper, and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Add cider vinegar and sugar to a pot and bring to the boil.
Mix all dry ingredients, adding a little water to form a smooth paste.
Stir the paste into the vinegar mixture, then bring it back to the boil.
Wash the vegetables thoroughly under cool water, then drain well.
Add vegetables to the thickened vinegar mix and simmer for 4–5 minutes.
Remove from heat, allow to cool, then store in a labelled container in the fridge.
We’re serving our homemade piccalilli throughout winter, perfectly paired with our Wild Boar Scotch Egg starter. Made using locally sourced ingredients from our wonderful suppliers, it’s one you’ll have to come and try for yourself.
