Pickled Onion Review #15: The Funky Food Co's Honey Pickled Onions and Apple Cider Pickled Onions

It's time to get funky again. After their Guinness & Marmite onions and the benchmark-setting "Dogs Bollocks", we're back with Staffordshire's own The Funky Food Co for another double-header. This time, it’s all about their Honey Pickled Onions and Apple Cider Pickled Onions.

Full disclosure so that you can read my opinions knowing what my biases are. I like The Funky Food Co. See my review of their “The Dogs Bollocks” pickled onions for more on why.

Now, I've made no secret of my general scepticism towards sweet pickled onions in the past. Too often, they misunderstand their purpose, sacrificing that essential, sharp tang for a cloying sweetness. However, I must admit that my opinion is starting to shift. Decent producers, like The Funky Food Co, are proving that sweetness, when handled correctly, can be a virtue. I'm finding these well-crafted sweet onions are surprisingly easy to eat in slightly larger quantities—a habit I've been indulging in for the last few months.

The Funky Food Co's Honey Pickled Onions

First up, the Honey Pickled Onions. The ingredients list is refreshingly simple: onions, honey, malt vinegar, sugar, and salt. The taste is exactly as advertised. You get the superb, classic malt vinegar onion flavour, but with a clear and distinct layer of honey over the top. It adds a character that dessert lovers will certainly appreciate, creating a complex profile that is both tangy and sweet. They've retained a decent crunch, avoiding the softness that can plague lesser onions.

The Funky Food Co's Apple Cider Pickled Onions

Next, the Apple Cider Pickled Onions. These offer a similar sweetness to the honey version, but with a distinct, crisp apple-y note. The pickling liquid is lighter and clearer, and the flavour is fantastic.

I'm a fan of apple cider vinegar, second only to a proper malt vinegar. It's definitely one I'll be looking to use when I finally get around to my own pickling experiments. Whilst these aren't pickled in apple cider vinegar, instead a mixture of vinegars with apple cider added, they do give a result that seems similar to how I remember apple cider vinegar pickled items to taste. And, of course, there's the added bonus that they might come with all the health benefits we hear about from regular apple cider vinegar consumption.

The Verdict

This was another strong showing from The Funky Food Co. Both jars offer a brilliant take on a sweeter pickled onion, proving that it can be done without sacrificing the fundamental character of the pickled onion. They are dangerously moreish.

My only gripe, as with their flavoured onions, is the size. I’m aware this is a very subjective point, particularly as not many people eat as many onions as I do in a sitting. These are both silverskin onions, which means a dessert spoon is required for efficient shovelling if you want to consume an actual mouthful. If these came in a larger onion format, they would be serious contenders for a perfect score from me.

The Funky Food Co's Honey Pickled Onions - 4 onions out of 5
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The Funky Food Co's Apple Cider Pickled Onions - 4½ onions out of 5
🧅🧅🧅🧅🌗

The Apple Cider just edges it for me, thanks to that crisp, tangy sweetness that feels both refreshing and complex. Both are excellent, though, and a testament to the fact that even a sweet-onion sceptic can be won over.

Whilst I’m talking about excellent things I’ve bought from small producers, I recently came across the beautiful pink grapefruit dish you can see with the onions on. It’s by a creator called Anna, who runs Earth and Sand. I spotted it on her BlueSky feed and bought it from her Etsy shop pretty much immediately. It’s another example of how modern web tools are enabling independent artists to connect directly with people who appreciate their work. And it’s a straightforward way to support small, creative businesses; something I love doing, along with bigging up their work where I can.