William Opie of Opies

Kent-based opies is one of the oldest family-owned food businesses in the uk and the only large-scale commercial producer of pickled walnuts. William is the grandson of founder Bennett opie.

What’s so special about opies pickled walnuts?

We have been pickling specially chosen walnuts with a secret range of spices in malt vinegar to a traditional victorian recipe for many years. they are hand-packed into jars and, unlike shelled walnuts that are harvested each autumn, walnuts for pickling are harvested by hand in late June and July, before the shell inside the outer green husk has formed.

What’s your favourite serving suggestion for autumn? our walnuts are an excellent accompaniment to cheese, grilled or roasted meats (hot or cold) and spicy food. they are great in a chicken casserole or steak and kidney pie.

the good news is... most of the walnuts that are sourced are from family businesses and farms. it’s fantastic that in recent years we have seen many new walnut orchards planted in the Uk.

surprise us... Walnut trees are not native to the British isles, but were in fact brought here by the romans. most of our wild or common walnut trees originate from this time. anything else you’d like to blow your own trumpet about? We’re known locally in Sittingbourne as ‘the pickle people’. We bottle everything from pink peppercorns to cocktail onions. We’re also famous for our ginger syrup (add a dash to butternut squash soup) and stem ginger (try in bread and butter pudding, flapjacks and parkin). opies Pickled Walnuts, £2.49 for 390g, available from good independent stores, plus branches of Waitrose and sainsbury’s.