My Lime Pickle Legacy

Something to celebrate my international family.

Lou Rogers, my late father-in-law came to England in 1952 from India. He brought his family a year later and worked for the Sheffield Star newspaper where he was a compositor. In the 1990s we lived abroad and Lou would often write to us and include a family recipe. This time for Lime Pickle. In preparation for Page Hall Festival I have set about making Lime Pickle from Lou’s recipe. The first stage is to salt the lemons.

Here’s the content of Lou’s letter to us living in Beijing (1994):-________________________________________________________

Lime (Lemon) Pickle

Ingredients:

6 lemons

4 teaspoons chilli powder

3 teaspoons paprika powder

2 teaspoons jeera (cumin) powder

1 teaspoon turmeric (saffron) powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

3 teaspoons ginger powder

4 fresh green chillis cut in halves

8 pods of fresh garlic (sliced)

Method:

Cut the lemons in half, then into quarters, then into quarters again.

Place cut lemons into alternative layers with salt in a jar and leave to soak and shake every day till all pieces of lemon change colour and turn soft.

Then drain in a strainer till all the water is properly drained out. If all the water doesn’t come out wash all the lemon in vinegar.

Mix all the above masalas in vinegar (no water at all should be used) then fry the masala in oil.

Then, when the masala is well fried add the lemons and bring to a boil. Then last of all add a little bit of sugar just to bring out the taste.

Hope you are all well, my girl.

Take care of yourselves.

Love - Mum and Dad