Pickles & Chutneys

Mostly the jar and the style. Ahmed is a Pakistani brand sold here in 1kg jars, pickled in oil, which suits a household that eats achar every day. Patak's is the Indian range in 283g jars, handy if you want one jar of each flavour. Both do mango, mixed, lime, chilli and garlic; only Patak's does brinjal, and only Patak's does a mango chutney.

A spoon on the side of almost anything: dal and rice, a plate of biryani made with mutton on the bone, keema from lamb mince wrapped in a paratha, or a simple omelette. Mango and mixed pickle are the all-rounders; lime pickle cuts through rich meat, and chilli pickle is for people who want heat. The oil from the jar also makes a quick tarka for leftover rice.

Yes, Patak's mango chutney and the hot mango chutney, both 340g jars. They go with poppadoms, with seekh and shami kebabs, with samosas, or stirred into a yogurt dip for grilled chicken. For a tamarind or coriander sauce instead, see the sauces and marinades page.

Yes. Use Shan Achar Gosht or Laziza Achar Gosht with mutton or goat on the bone, such as the lamb bone-in diced mix or the goat bone-in diced mix in 25-30g pieces, and finish with a spoon of oil from a jar of mixed pickle for the proper sour note. Stuffed green chillies on top are traditional; the vegetables page usually has them.

Sealed jars keep in a cool cupboard until the date on the lid. Once open, keep the pickle pressed under its oil, use a dry spoon, and it lasts for months; chutney goes in the fridge after opening, as the label says. Jars need no cold chain, so they travel in the same Woolcool box as the meat by DPD, Tuesday to Saturday, dispatched the next working day and delivered the day after. Delivery is 6.99 under 60 pounds and free from 60 pounds.