Guess it's no secret I like to cook. Or that I like the odd (very odd, strong, occasional ) lager either. Since I can't get out much -which is bloomin' annoying, cooking is my real vice. Though not eating, funnily enough. The combination of cooking and and a can? - inspiration, thats what :)

If you're an occasional reader, you'll know that I have a fascination with seasonal pickles, and Autumn/Winter/Christmas is my favourite time of year. Wheelie Weather. Seriously.

I've been inundated with requests for my Piccalilli this year as Christmas presents. It goes as 'Wheelielilly' I'm not sure I can keep up with demand.

Here's the odd thing. Some like the sauce bit. Others like it with the veg. Some ask me to 'wizzywig' it a bit to keep any chunks tiny.

I do various chutneys too, but I'm not going to give those recipes away :)

Piccalilli is so easy to make yourself - the basic recipe is below, but I have my little exra's. Warning. It pongs when you cook it - open a window, and leave it in a cool dark place for um, at least a month :)

700ml Malt vinegar. GOT to be malt.
2 tbsp Coriander seeds/1 tbsp ground (supermarket) Coriander, or if your lucky, 4 tbsp fresh.
500g Cauliflower, broken into 3cm florets
2 Onions, peeled and chopped.

Cheat here. Sure, add the onions as above. You might like also add silver skin onions bought from the supermarket. A little of the fluid from the jar added to the final recipe will cool as a preservative.

3 tbsp English mustard powder - though 2 tbsp ground mustard seed is better for texture.
3 tbsp Plain flour
1 tbsp Turmeric
2 tsp Ground ginger - Ah, go with your instinct on this. Try 3/4 inch of grated fresh instead . Hard work tho'
150ml Cider vinegar (ooh yes - white wine vinegar is good too)
100 grams/4 oz anything you want. Traditionally, french beans. Try 4 oz of mixed red and yellow peppers
½ Cucumber, quartered lengthways and cut into 1cm slices. Personally, I prefer gherkins.
2 Garlic cloves, mashed. beat the heck out of them. But don't skip it.
200g Granulated or muscavada sugar
Method

1. Place the malt vinegar and coriander seeds in a large preserving pan and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and onion and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly softened but still crunchy. Meanwhile, put the mustard, flour, turmeric and ginger in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the cider vinegar until smooth. Add the remaining vegetables, garlic and sugar to the pan and stir over the heat for 2–3 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Drain over a large bowl to collect the vinegar.

2. Put the mustard mixture in the pan and bring to the boil. Gradually add the drained malt vinegar and simmer for 10 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Add the drained vegetables and take off the heat. Spoon into sterilised jars – if they’re not kilner jars, cover them with plastic discs and elastic bands rather than metal lids, which can sometimes react with the vinegar.

Stick it in a cupboard for a month - eat with home made bread - no compromise.