A SECRET recipe handed down from his grandmother has helped Brian Parker get in a real pickle - and he couldn't be more delighted.
From his home, a former weaver's cottage in Summerseat, near Ramsbottom, Brian has turned a part time hobby into an award-winning business.
His company, Parker's Preserves, has just won a North West Fine Foods award for its sweet and spicy mango pickle, beating off competition from producers from all over Lancashire.
And Brian's spiced apple chutney - his grandmother's recipe - also came runner-up.
Brian has been making chutney as a hobby for a number of years.
"I joined a bowling club with some mates," he said. "When it got to Christmas they'd all start asking if I'd made some chutney and if they could have some. When they started placing orders for half a dozen jars each my wife said I should start to charge for them and turn it into a business."
Initially Brian would attend the odd farmers' market and his pickles and chutneys were always in demand.
Last year he quit his job, sold his house near Manchester and "downsized" to the Summerseat cottage so that he could operate Parkers Preserves full time.
"We now produced 18 different flavours of chutney, pickles and sauces," said Brian.
"We use only the freshest of ingredients and everything is made and bottled in the kitchen."
On a good week, Brian can produce up to 300 jars a week and these include 10 different chutneys, including flavours like spiced orange and apple and spiced onion, various pickles including the best-selling chilli spiced shallots and even some sauces.
"We make our own brown sauce but it's nothing like you get in the supermarket," he said.
Brian goes to the market every Monday and buys the best seasonal ingredients.
"It will take me until Thursday to get everything into bottles and jars," he said. "We have some two gallon pans to prepare the chutneys in. Everyone knows what I've been doing when I go out because no matter how many times you may have a shower the smell lingers."
Now Brian is a regular at the various farmers' markets around the county and he also supplies a number of local specialist retailers and delicatessens.
"The interest in sauces and pickles is defintely growing," said Brian. "I think it's helped that the chefs you see on TV such as Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall have started to talk about how you can use them and what great flavours they have. Because our products are genuinely home made and because we use fresh, seasonal ingredients, it also means that they are suitable for people who can only eat gluten-free products.
"We have recently started to produce a gluten-free piccalilli."
Brian's first chutney was spiced apple.
"I used to make it with my grandmother and it was a recipe she got from her mother so it goes back years," he said. "She was a typical Victorian-style cook. She's just throw things together into a pan without ever measuring anything or looking at a recipe and it would come out perfect.
"We can't do that as we have to document everything to comply with all the food regulations."
With the awards starting to come in and the order books full, Brian's next step will be to see how he can expand.
"We want to be able to say that our produce is home made," he said.
"So we have to be very careful how we grow the business."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article