News & Blog

This month at Crooked Pickle Co, we’re sharing with you our handy guide to pickling.  It’s the start of a series of blogs that will delve a little deeper into the different aspects of pickling, the benefits of it and just what you can and can’t pickle.  It’s the perfect time of year to start pickling. 

We all know how special pickles are. But at Christmas, we think they're positively essential food fodder. Let me tell you the story of 'Weihnachtsgurke' (or the Christmas Pickle) and why soon, everyone will be hanging a pickle on their Christmas tree. I'm not going to lie, the origins of the Christmas pickle are a little iffy, but hey, it is Christmas and we're a pickle company....so we're happily going embrace it!  The story is that each year on Christmas Eve, families all over Germany (and America and soon to be the UK...😂) hide an ornamental pickle in their Christmas tree. The first child to find it receives an extra present from Father Christmas (or St Nicholas in the case of the Germans). Now, being of German descent myself, I know that St Nicholas doesn't come on Christmas Eve (he comes on the 5th December in Germany), but as I said, it's a cheery story and we're a pickle company. Gifts from Woolworths Many people believe that this story actually originates from a German migrant in America during the American Civil War. He was given a pickle by a prison guard as his last meal but went on to survive. He put his good fortune down to that last simple supper, so in honour of this, each year at Christmas he hid an ornamental pickle in the family tree. Whichever child found it first would have good luck (as he had) and thus the tradition of the Christmas pickle had begun. Whether you believe this or not, you can find ornamental tree pickles everywhere. F.W. Woolworth started selling them way back in 1880, he imported these gorgeous trinkets from Lauscha glassblowers in Thüringen, Germany. Each of them containing a little gift tag telling this quirky feelgood Christmas story.             Crooked Pickle Range So you now know the story of Weihnachtsgurke and why people are hanging pickle ornaments on their trees. But there's nothing like the real deal is there? Cue the Crooked Pickle Co. We've got a fantastic range of delicious pickles, all lovingly prepared at our premises in Chesterfield. Our pickles are THE perfect accompaniment to festive cheeseboards everywhere. They will shake up turkey leftovers and let's face it, a sandwich just isn't a sandwich unless it's oozing out some pickle. In truth, we think that eating Crooked Pickle pickles, is fast becoming the next Christmas tradition and it's catching on fast! Click here to view our full range including our excellent value gift packs, containing three cheeseboards favourites.   I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas this year, thank you for your loyalty and support during these difficult times. I can't wait for 2021 and to carry on spreading our love of the pickled veg everywhere. Felix

Discover how pickling has evolved over the last 400 years to become a key part of today's cuisine.