Haywards Piccalilli 460g (Chivers Hartley Ltd.) If you ever require absolute obedience from children, threaten them with ‘mustard pickle’. It used to work on me. Like jazz, pipe smoking and the quiet luxury of a fine-knit wool cardigan, you must acquire a certain age and maturity to properly appreciate a full-bodied piccalilli. The combination of vinegary, al dente vegetables and hot mustard sauce holds no appeal whatsoever for the youthful palette and can irritate over sensitive taste buds. For the rest of us, piccalilli is out there waiting to be rediscovered. My current favourite brand is Haywards. It’s thick mustard sauce isn’t too sharp and the vegetables are plentiful, though chopped reasonably small. I would have preferred slightly larger chunks of cauliflower, though the miniature whole shallots are perfect and are well suited to sandwiches. Other brands often use bigger onions which are acceptable in a crusty roll, but can disrupt a sandwich and break through the bread. Disaster. Like most pickles, piccalilli works particularly well with other strong flavours. I can heartily recommend a liberal application on a mature cheddar cheese sandwich (or roll). It works equally well at the side of a cold meat platter, or with a quality pork pie or sausage roll. Use sparingly with chicken and turkey dishes, and put it back in the fridge when fish is on the menu.