# Cheese and pickle sandwich (British) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [June 28, 2022, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016 "2022-06-28T02:50:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/141 "2022-08-11T18:04:20Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The pickle in question (Branston) has tomato in it, which makes it post-16th century, as **Kimstu** noted. Interesting. I would never have guessed tomato is in it, but looking online, tomato paste is right there towards the end of the ingredients list (and, from what I could find, the original one, too.) The main vegetable ingredients are rutabaga, carrot, onion, and cauliflower. Branston Pickle Relish, though, doesn’t have tomato. It’s good stuff and, yes, goes best with a cheese like a cheddar, though I really can’t see why a smoked gouda wouldn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/142 "2022-08-11T18:12:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s good stuff and, yes, goes best with a cheese like a cheddar, though I really can’t see why a smoked gouda wouldn’t work. I may have purchased the wrong item. It says Branston Original on the jar. IMO smoked gouda was completely overwhelmed by it. It’s a pretty mild cheese compared to a sharp cheddar. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/143 "2022-08-11T18:14:11Z")
Guess it depends on how smoky or aged that gouda is. 🙂 (Some goudas are quite strong, but those are not usually the smoked kinds, but the ones that are aged 5-7 years; stronger than a cheddar in the same age range.) But, yeah, go for sharper cheeses, for sure. It is aggressive, but I like it even in a grilled cheese sandwich made with American Kraft singles (how much blander can you get), probably because it actually gives the sandwich some flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/144 "2022-08-17T02:17:24Z")
OK,I tried it with sharp cheddar. It helps a lot. It might be an acquired taste. I was expecting more caramelized onion and less vinegar. It’s the vinegar that stands out. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/145 "2022-08-17T20:29:50Z")
I noticed over the weekend when I had fish and chips and did some browsing in the British store adjoining the restaurant, that there are a couple variations of Branston Pickle- the “original” which is chunky, and a finer chop version (“Small Chunk”). Is one better than the other for sandwiches? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/146 "2022-08-17T21:39:47Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Is one better than the other for sandwiches? YMMV of course but the small chunk one is for sandwiches (allows greater spreadification) but there are those of us who rather like the big crunchy chunks even if an equal pickle coverage is hard to acheive. It adds mystery and uncertainty. Every mouthfull is an adventure. Mind you, I may be an anomaly as I rarely go purely for cheese and pickle and often slide some ham in there as well, a nice breaded thick sliced yorkshire style ham, good eatin’ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/147 "2022-08-18T00:33:44Z")
I prefer small chop, but _de gustibus_. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2022, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/148 "2022-08-18T00:41:54Z")
Never seen the small chop Branston, but I do like [The Pickle Guy’s minced giardiniera.](https://thatpickleguy.com/product/chicago-style-giardiniera-hot-minced-8oz/) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/149 "2022-08-22T19:49:49Z")
I was making a sandwich for lunch (it’s especially good on a hot summer day) and read the ingredients list on the Branston. One item was “puree”. Pureed what? no indication. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2022, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/150 "2022-08-22T22:31:05Z")
Maybe it’s pureed mince. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/151 "2022-08-23T00:23:05Z")
Probably tomato puree. You sure it wasn’t from the line before, like this one: [![](https://world.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/506/033/650/5223/ingredients_en.16.full.jpg) ](https://world.openfoodfacts.org/images/products/506/033/650/5223/ingredients_en.16.full.jpg) That said, the ingredient labels vary a bit on Branston Pickle, depending on where you get it from. I could have sworn some Branston Pickle has “marrow” (as in the British word for a type of summer squash) in it, but the one I have and the first few pictures I found of ingredient labels don’t list it. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/152 "2022-08-23T07:01:01Z")
At a wild guess, it might be that pretty well flavourless veg like marrow might be used interchangeably for bulking ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/153 "2022-08-23T09:39:20Z")
I suspect the list of ingredients varies somewhat according to whatever’s available seasonally. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/154 "2022-10-04T16:11:44Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > After all this yesterday, I couldn’t help but make a cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch today. It was great! 🙂 So this thread made me want to try this sandwich. I went on Amazon and Branston pickle was not cheap. And it came with a $10 shipping charge. Didn’t feel like spending that. There used to be some British themed groceries around here but doing a Google search seemed to suggest they are no more. So I went to the local supermarket and checked out the tiny British food section. I found Heinz ploughman’s pickle. I read online that Branston is just a brand of ploghman’s pickle. So I tired that. After all that I didn’t feel like making another stop too get genuine English cheddar, so I went with what looked like the best quality American cheddar at the place where I was (it was Vermont cheddar). And I used the low-carb sandwich bread I had at home. Put it all together. It was okay. Probably not something I would crave, but it was fine. Could use some meat in it. > [@Skywatcher](#): > > I can recommend these for anyone watching their sugar intake: I have a jar of Good Good blueberry. It’s good! It has lasted a long time because I don’t eat much jam/jelly. > [@SanVito](#): > > (I understand you define a difference, but we don’t) Just to clarify, in case there are people in the thread who don’t know: Jelly: made with fruit juice only, no actual fruit. It’s a homogenous, smooth gel. Jam: made with fruit juice and fruit pieces. It’s a bit lumpy Fruit Preserves: made with fruit pieces or whole fruit only, no juice. It’s all lumps. > [@bordelond](#): > > The most popular jelly flavors to go with peanut butter are strawberry and grape by a large margin. After that, it’s a grab bag And grape is by far the default. The pre-mixed peanut butter and jelly spreads use grape jelly. > [@Smid](#): > > Peanut Butter. I’m not a fan. However, I believe the UK version is much more savoury (with chunks of peanut, not sure if that is in US version) than the US version, which is a sweet thing. > [@pjd](#): > > That was my next question !! UK PB has salt in and no sugar - and i don’t think that’d go with jam/jelly … American peanut butter can run the gamut from unsweetened to very sweet. They all have salt. They all go well with jam/jelly. > [@carrps](#): > > A gherkin is a type of “pickle” in the US sense. Usually small and kinda sweet? I’ve only eaten a few, and I remember not caring for them. I believe that a “gherkin” is technically a specific kind of small cucumber, so that’s why a jar of small cucumber picked is called “pickled gherkins.” I have noticed that in non-U.S. English, the term “gherkin” is being expanded to all pickled cucumbers. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Syrup, no bacon. It there is bacon on offer, it’s on another player, well away from the syrup. Syrup on pancakes is sweet and savory. Jam/jelly on bread ( with or without butter) is sweet and savory. > [@Smid](#): > > Nope, it’s sweet. It does work with cheddar cheese, but the cheese is the main, the branston the relish/sauce part. So like relish on a burger. Yep, sweet and savory. Just like peanut butter and jelly. > [@Chronos](#): > > But yeah, there are a lot of regional slang terms for pancakes in the US. Flapjacks, griddle cakes, hotcakes, hoe cakes, Johnny cakes, … I don’t think they are “slang terms.” They are dialectical variations. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/155 "2022-10-04T16:38:03Z")
Over here, Scotch pancakes, or drop scones. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2022, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/156 "2022-10-05T17:37:36Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Just to clarify, in case there are people in the thread who don’t know: > > Jelly: made with fruit juice only, no actual fruit. It’s a homogenous, smooth gel. > > Jam: made with fruit juice and fruit pieces. It’s a bit lumpy > > Fruit Preserves: made with fruit pieces or whole fruit only, no juice. It’s all lumps. This is incorrect. I think you got your definitions of preserves and jam reversed. Fruit preserves are essentially jelly with whole fruit pieces, so there is most definitely juice in it. Jam is usually made with whole fruit cooked until it’s jam, not usually with extra juice. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/157 "2022-10-05T18:44:23Z")
The main difference between jam and jelly is more to do with the spreadability and clarity, with jelly being more of both than jam. And the jam/preserves difference has to do with the size of the fruit solids- jam being puree or nearly so (maybe mashed fruit?) and homogenous, and preserves being composed of distinct chunks, with a sort of jelly between them derived from the juice in the fruit pieces, _but not added separately_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2022, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/158 "2022-10-05T21:25:24Z")
I’ve always seen “fruit preserves” as an umbrella term that encompasses both jelly and jam. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2022, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/159 "2022-10-05T23:54:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And if a family is sitting around the table, one might say “pass the jam” and receive jelly, or vice versa, without it being considered remarkable At breakfast one day in Calcutta Sat a man with a bit of a stutta He said, “Pass the h-ham And the j-j-j-jam And the b-b-b-b-b-b-butta” ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2022, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016/160 "2022-10-06T02:47:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve always seen “fruit preserves” as an umbrella term that encompasses both jelly and jam Yes, generically, but it also has a specific meaning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheese-and-pickle-sandwich-british/967016.md?page=9)