Spiced Pickled Red Cabbage

Make spiced pickled red cabbage with tangy vinegar and warming spices. A colourful refrigerator pickle for ham sandwiches, cheese boards and festive meals at home.

10/29/20262 min read

Homemade pickled red cabbage in glass jars with a bay leaf, showing the vibrant pink color of the fermented vegetables.

Spiced Pickled Red Cabbage

The Classic Christmas Jar With a Crunch

If you grew up in Britain, there's a good chance pickled red cabbage was on your Christmas table, right beside the cold turkey, the ham and the cheese.

It's sharp, a little sweet, gently spiced and an unbelievable shade of magenta. It cuts through rich food beautifully, and it's one of the simplest preserves you can make.

The one big step is salting the cabbage the day before. It draws out water so the pickle stays crisp rather than soggy. After that you're only boiling spiced vinegar and pouring it over. Sterilise your jars, use the right vinegar and lids, and you have a gift that keeps for months.

Pickled red cabbage troubleshooting guide chart with solutions for soft texture, saltiness, and color changes.

Packaging and Gifting

• Jars: 500 ml jars suit most households. Smaller 250 ml jars are lovely for stocking fillers, and you'll get about five from a batch. Check that the lids are vinegar-proof.

• Decorate: the colour is the star, so keep it simple. Tie a length of tartan ribbon around the neck, with a tag and a sprig of dried rosemary tucked in the ribbon (outside the jar).

• Pairing ideas:

- A wedge of mature cheddar and a packet of good crackers.

- A cooked ham or a turkey breast for Boxing Day sandwiches.

- A jar of Tomato Kasundi for a complete pickle collection.

Making It With the Kids/Grandkids

Knives and boiling vinegar are for adults only, but the salting and packing are family jobs.

• Ages 3 and up: peel away the outer leaves and see how purple the cabbage is inside.

• Ages 5 and up: mix the shredded cabbage with the salt in the bowl, wearing disposable gloves (and prepare to be amazed by the colour).

• Ages 7 and up: squeeze the rinsed cabbage dry, and help press it into the cooled jars before the hot vinegar goes in (an adult then pours it in).

• Ages 8 and up: write the labels and decorate the gift tags.

An adult does all the shredding, boiling and jar filling. Keep children well back from the hot vinegar, hot jars and the oven.

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This post is part of my Edible Gifts From the Kitchen series. You'll find loads more edible gift ideas and delicious Christmas recipes here.

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With love, Kim xx

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