a lifelong obsession

I’ve been in love with pickled onions since I was a child — I hid jars under my bed and ate them before I went to sleep. At family gatherings I’d fill my plate with them and sit in a corner eating, then convince others to pile extra on their plate, all for me.

I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect pickled onion my whole life, and in the end I decided to make them myself. I held pickled onion tasting parties in Tokyo where serious pickled onion fans could indulge their obsession — huge jars would be emptied in one night.

I’d been giving them to friends and family as Christmas presents, and was eventually convinced that they had to be sold. And so, in October 2013, Auntie Caroline’s Pickled Onions went on sale in Cirencester, and started flying off the shelves.

I now have a range of over 40 different pickles, chutneys, and jams; and until 2023 the pickle business produced around 25,000 jars a year and supplied about 40 independent shops around the UK, mainly in The Cotswolds. 

Despite all my efforts to return to my previous good health I am starting to accept that I am unlikely to return to the kitchen full-time. I am currently exploring either selling the business or downsizing so it is more manageable for me with my health limitations. I am now only supplying Gloucester Services and attending Cirencester Farmers' Markets while deciding on the next step for Auntie Caroline's.   

Parties interested in discussing possible purchase of or partnership within the business are welcome to get in touch.

GO TO AUNTIE CAROLINE'S WEBSITE