How to make pickled beetroot

Beetroot keeps turning up in my weekly organic veg box. Recently I've been spiralising it, and serving it with candied walnuts, goat's cheese and a dash of balsamic vinegar, which is a great mix of texture, taste and colour.

But this week I wanted to do something different. Cleaning out the fridge, I came across an ancient jar of home-pickled home-grown beetroot, well past its eat-by date. So I thought I'd make some more.

And it's so easy. I used BBC Good Food's recipe. This calls for wrapping each beetroot in foil and baking it, then unwrapping and peeling. And this calls for pink fingers, as you can see (right).

Next you make the pickling juice (below left) by simmering spices in vinegar. Once the beetroot are cold, slice or cut them into chunks, put into a sterilised jar, pour over the vinegar, add some sea salt and screw on the lid (below right). Ready in two weeks!