What a name! There is a reference in a book from 1694 to describe how “to pickle-Lila, an Indian pickle”. No reference is made to who Lila was sadly. The essential ingredient though is mustard and this was once the cheapest spice as it was home grown in Britain. Mustard was used in pickles in the middle ages to add flavour or help pickle turnips and mustard sauce was once made with honey, oil and vinegar.

Ingredients

• 1.25KG mixture prepared vegetables (see below)
• 225 grams iodised salt
• 15 grams each dry mustard and ground ginger
• 100 grams sugar
• 500 ml white wine vinegar
• 20 grams flour

Vegetables

• Cucumber or gherkins , cut into small dice
• Green or yellow beans, chopped
• Cauliflower florets
• Shallots or baby pickling onions, peeled

Method

1. Layer the vegetables and salt in a large shallow dish and place a plate and weight on top. Leave for 24 hours.
2. Drain thoroughly, rinse and drain again.
3. In a large pan stir the spices, sugar and vinegar over a moderate heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vegetables and cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the preferred level of crunch is achieved. The vegetables should remain whole and crunchy.
4. Blend the flour with an additional ¼ cup vinegar to make a smooth paste and stir into the pickles and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the mixture thickens.
5. Pack carefully into hot, dry sterlised jars and seal. Best after one month.
6. Makes 1.25kg