What Is Pickling — And Why We Put It in Everything

Walk into Love Shack and there's a good chance something on your table is pickled. The cocktail menu features our legendary Tickle My Pickle — tequila, lemon, pickle juice, and agave. The Peking duck pancakes arrive with pickled red onion. The small plates menu shifts seasonally, but something briny, tangy, and alive always makes an appearance. We're unapologetic about it. Pickling isn't just a flavour technique — it's a philosophy about how food should work.

What Is Pickling and How Does It Work?

Pickling is one of humanity's oldest food preservation techniques, predating refrigeration by thousands of years. At its most basic, pickling uses either acid (vinegar) or fermentation (salt + time + beneficial bacteria) to transform raw ingredients into something preserved, complex, and alive. Quick pickles use vinegar and salt to create fast-acting acidity within hours. Fermented pickles rely on naturally occurring lactobacillus bacteria to produce lactic acid over days or weeks — creating deeper flavour, probiotic benefits, and that distinctive funky tang.

Why Pickling and Vegan Cooking Are Perfect Together

In a kitchen that uses no animal products, building complexity of flavour requires creativity. Pickling is one of the most powerful tools we have. The sharp acidity of a pickled element cuts through rich, fatty flavours — like the hoisin sauce on our duck pancakes — and creates contrast that makes a dish feel complete and balanced.

Pickling at Home — The Love Shack Starter Kit

• Basic quick pickle: Equal parts white wine vinegar and water, 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp sugar, heated until dissolved. Pour over thinly sliced vegetables. Cool, jar, and refrigerate. Ready in 2 hours, best after 24.

• Pickled red onions: Thinly sliced red onion, apple cider vinegar, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar. Use on tacos, flatbreads, noodle bowls — anywhere you need brightness.

• Fermented cucumbers: Whole small cucumbers, 3% saltwater brine, dill, garlic. Submerge and leave at room temperature for 3–5 days. Taste daily.

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The Gut Health Connection

Fermented foods — including properly fermented pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, and miso — are among the most powerful sources of dietary probiotics available outside of supplements. Emerging research suggests that a diverse gut microbiome is associated with better immune function, improved mood, reduced inflammation, and more stable energy levels. At Love Shack, we think eating well and eating joyfully should be the same thing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pickling?

Pickling is the process of preserving or flavouring food using acid (vinegar) or fermentation (salt and beneficial bacteria). It is one of the world's oldest food preservation techniques and creates distinctive tangy, complex flavours in vegetables, fruits, and some proteins.

Is pickled food good for you?

Fermented pickled foods contain live probiotic bacteria that support gut health, immune function, and may positively affect mood and energy. Vinegar-pickled foods, while not probiotic, are low in calories and can support blood sugar regulation.

Does Love Shack serve pickled food?

Yes. Love Shack in Cambridge Heath, East London, is known for incorporating pickled and fermented elements throughout its food and drinks menu — from pickled cocktails like the Tickle My Pickle and Pickle Back shots, to pickled red onion, jalapeños, and fermented condiments across many dishes. Find us at Arch 298-299, Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 9HA.