Funky: Volume 9

If you take the five basic flavour profiles sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami then add the basic contrasts of a successful dish smooth, crunchy, zingy, fatty, crispy you soon realise that using pickles in your cooking can lay down some excellent funky beats. Having a range of pickles and preserves in your fridge is akin to your Spotify playlists: you can scan through them and, depending on your mood, use them to add verve to your dishes and your day. For Caitlin Ruth, when it comes to pickles shes looking for taste, a contrast of flavours and a good way to make a funky dish. There are few dishes that cant be improved by the addition of a pickle and few fruits and vegetables that cant be thrown into a jar in a 10-minute pickle project. With suggestions for how to eat and serve each pickle and tips on how to use them in surprising ways (think pickle-brined fries or a pickle zhoug), Caitlin puts the fun into funky to pack your plate with flavour.