Leyton Lab Drop 003: Big Brine's Triple Pickle Best Sellers

Three amazing pickles from Big Brine

Please note Leyton Lab Drop 003 will ship early in November

These a festival-favourite pickle trio we never meant to sell online (because raw, unpasteurised ferments are a total nightmare to make at scale)

Turns out people REALLY like properly made, naturally fermented pickles! Back in September, we pitched up The Big Brine Festival with no real idea how the next few days would go. Would anyone turn up? Would the pickles we'd made specially for the event be popular?

By Saturday night, our Pickle Party Platter had caused a proper stampede.

We served 334 platters in two sessions and went through most of the  naturally fermented cukes we'd brought with us. Come Sunday morning, the barrels were dry. Turning people away felt like a crime, and we were gutted for everyone who couldn't make it down to Hackney to try them. Normally, these three pickles stay strictly behind the counter at live events.

Two of them — our Classic Deli Dills and our Chilli Hotties — are raw, unpasteurised lacto-ferments preserved the old-fashioned way without a drop of vinegar. We simply let salt and time do the work. Because they are alive in the pack, they are temperamental, refuse to be rushed and keep bubbling away long after they're sealed.

For Leyton Lab Drop 003, we decided to put a one-off, ultra-limited batch on to ferment in the arch so you can build your own Pickle Party Platter at home. We've paired our two live cucumber ferments with the third heavy hitter from the festival: our sharp, hot-brined Green Tomatoes with Garlic & Thyme.  

And because you can't have the Big Brine platter without the dip that stole the whole weekend, every triple pack comes bundled with the kitchen recipe card (and a little packed of magic dust) for our famous Shedletskys Pickle Cheese — giving you the tools to melt cheeses directly pickle brine so it stays glossy and never splits.

Flavour profiles

Deli Dills (A Classic Sour Pickle) Like they used to make them. Raw, unpasteurised cucumbers naturally fermented in salt water with garlic, fresh dill, fennel and celery seeds. Zero vinegar, just outrageous old-school sour tang and a proper crunch that Sam Shedletsky would be proud of.  

Chilli Hotties (A Fiery Sour Pickle) The same naturally fermented, zero-vinegar sour crunch as our Deli Dills, cranked up with fresh chillies and crushed chilli flakes. A dangerously fiery pickle for when you need to bring the heat.  

Green Tomatoes with Garlic & Thyme (The Sandwich Saviour) Firm, unripe green tomatoes hit with a hot vinegar brine, garlic, thyme and a touch of chilli to crank their natural sourness right up to eleven. Massive sharp tang and a seriously satisfying bite.  

Pile them high on a platter around a warm bowl of homemade Pickle Cheese, wedge the Green Tomatoes into a crispy fried chicken sandwich, stack the Deli Dills onto thick salt beef, or eat the Chilli Hotties straight over the sink

What’s included in the set?

• 1x large pack of Classic Deli Dill Pickles: The bubbe of Jewish deli culture. Crisp cucumbers naturally lacto-fermented in a salt brine with crushed garlic, yellow mustard seeds, black peppercorns and fresh dill fronds. Raw, naturally fermented and zero vinegar, just pure fermented sour crunch. (Keep refrigerated on arrival).
• 1x large pack of Spicy Hotties: Unapologetically punchy, chilli-charged pickles built to cut through rich cheese and cold beer
• 1x large pack of Pickled Green Tomatoes: Firm green tomatoes halved and hot-brined with crushed garlic, pierced red chilli, yellow mustard seeds and whole sprigs of fresh thyme. Amazing on a platter or sliced into a burger. 
• BONUS: The Shedletskys Pickle Cheese Recipe Card and magic dust: The breakout star of The Big Brine. We’ve included our exact kitchen spec for melting cheese directly into pickle brine using sodium citrate — giving you a glossy, dippable pickle cheese sauce that never splits.   

INGREDIENTS: 
Deli Dills: Cucumbers (50%), Water, Salt, Garlic, Dill, MUSTARD SEEDS, Dill Seeds, CELERY SEEDS, Fennel Seeds, Black Pepper, Citric Acid

Chilli Hotties: Cucumbers (50%), Water, Salt, Fresh Chillies, Garlic, Dill, Chilli Flakes, MUSTARD SEEDS, Dill Seeds, CELERY SEEDS, Fennel Seeds, Black Pepper, Citric Acid

Green Tomatoes with Garlic & Thyme: Tomatoes (50%), White Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, MUSTARD SEEDS, Black Pepper, Garlic, Thyme, Chilli 

STORAGE: Keep refrigerated. Once opened, consume within 1 month. Please note: Deli Dills and Chilli Hotties are raw, unpasteurised ferments and may need to be opened on arrival to release natural CO2 build-up. Allergens shown in BOLD. Produced in kitchens that handle other allergens, please see our website for further information