A fine pickle … fried pickles with spicy dipping sauce. Photograph: LauriPatterson/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A fine pickle … fried pickles with spicy dipping sauce. Photograph: LauriPatterson/Getty Images Food Gherkins galore! 17 delicious ways to enjoy pickles – from frickles to pickletinis One of the UK budget’s big surprises? A discount on gherkins. And while they’ll always be good on a burger, there are many more unusual ways to indulge, from fried cheese treats to savoury ice-cream
Leah Harper Fri 30 Oct 2026 06.00 CET Last modified on Fri 30 Oct 2026 06.02 CET Share Prefer the Guardian on Google I n John Healey’s first budget as chancellor this week, he announced that he will remove import tariffs on more than 100 products – including, crucially, gherkins. Baked beans and boiled sweets, too, but gherkins stole the limelight , perhaps due to gen Z’s long-held obsession with all things pickled , including cucumbers.
But for those who think of a gherkin as either something to be chomped straight from the jar or swiftly removed from a Big Mac, do not worry: there are, in fact, plenty of ways to get more bang for your newly discounted gherkin buck.
If you’re unsure about gherkins in general, let me ease you in with a gateway dish: the frickle, AKA a fried pickle . Deep frying almost any foodstuff will make it taste better and pickles – as gherkins are commonly known in the US – are no exception. Remember to pat dry your gherkins, which typically come swimming in their own brine. Then it’s simply a case of making a batter, dredging, frying and trying not to get grease all over your chin.
View image in fullscreen Pickle your fancy … deep-fried pickles at a barbecue restaurant in Kentucky. Photograph: Yarvin Market Journeys/Alamy Frickles are usually paired with a creamy dipping sauce such as aioli or ranch dressing – but why not go double gherkin and make your own tartare? Nigel Slater’s classic tartare sauce uses gherkins to cut through greasiness, allowing us “to continue eating”. You don’t have to ask me twice.
Alternatively, there’s also gherkin ketchup: Tom Kerridge’s recipe promises that “your guests will think you’re a pickling genius” – despite the fact that you are essentially serving up pureed gherkins.
Now that you’re a gherkin convert, time to try something a little more adventurous. Sophie Wyburd’s recipe for baked camembert with spicy pickle dressing is a tangy twist on a classic comfort food, adding gherkins to the more traditional dressing components of oil, rosemary and chilli. Plus, I would challenge anyone to turn down the “croissant crouton” dippers, which she serves in place of the usual crusty bread.
Cosy indulgence not the vibe? Why not freeze your gherkins to make something altogether fresher. Recipe developer Emily Bonner blitzes her frosty pickles to create a kind of savoury granita, then uses it to top a burrata .
View image in fullscreen Added zip … Nashville-style chicken burger with pickles. Photograph: Nazar Abbas/Getty The cheese and gherkin pairings don’t end there: Nicola Lamb combines gherkins with cheddar for her flaky cheese and pickle scones , while Matt Tebbutt adds them to a gruyère and salami toastie , intended to accompany french onion soup – although I’d venture it’s tasty eaten alone, too. Is the viral TikTok “ chickle ” snack – yes, that’s gherkins wrapped in fried cheese – an upgrade on the frickle? I couldn’t possibly say.
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