Much like Marmite, Branston's humble pickle spread is a love or hate affair, as tart chunks of pickle dressed in a sweet brown chutney can often divide opinions. When you drill down to whether pickle fans prefer large chunks or a smoother finish in their relish, things get pretty tribal.
Whether you're a fan of the brown stuff or not, pickle spread is a staple condiment on many a British dining table, and Branston is the first name you'll hear in association with the savoury spread. Instantly recognisable for its signature green and yellow logo, the food stalwart is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with a bang.
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Its infamous jarred chutney was first born in 1922 in the village of Branston, near Burton on Trent in Staffordshire. Since then, the brand has stayed true to its heritage, but now it's marking the anniversary with a luxury twist on a classic.
Selected pickle lovers will now be able to enjoy Branston's signature taste in a new form, as the brand has launched its own take on caviar. Traditionally made of salt-cured fish roe, the luxury spread is renowned as a delicacy served at high-end soirees.
But Branston's satirical take on the spread, charmingly named 'Braviar', is completely vegan and claims to maintain that signature pickle taste inside minuscule caviar-inspired jewels.
A fresh take on the classic cheese and pickle combo that's adored across the country, the poshly named spread is designed to be enjoyed on crackers, bread or blinis with any cheese of your choice.
Owing to its luxury status, the limited edition Braviar will only be available via an Instagram competition which looks to find the most avid of Branston pickle fans.
To enter, chutney fanatics simply need to send in their most creative Branston pickle pairing and they'll be in for a chance of winning a golden pot of the good stuff, housed in a fancy gift hamper which includes a luxury mother of pearl spoon and caviar key, blinis, crackers and cream cheese.
The culinary competition will launch on Branston's official Instagram page today.
For those intrigued by what Branston's bougie jewels taste like, you're in luck as we taste-tested the unusual creation to give you our verdict.
Full transparency: our team enjoyed a full spread of champagne and Braviar blinis - all served by a wonderfully polite butler - to make the most out of the experience.
As Branston's Braviar isn't currently available to buy, we can't compare its price to its posher caviar cousin.
But taste-wise, one team member said that it "successfully celebrates all the moreish characteristics of Branston pickle" which they describe as "slightly tart with a sweet, smooth finish" while being "slightly more delicate thanks to the small bursts of flavour in each ball, rather than a chunky spread".
While we tried it with cream cheese and blinis, one of our testers commented that they would have liked to taste the Braviar on a cracker as the blinis had a "slightly sweet taste that overpowered the savoury pickle finish" they know and love.
Another of our team members is a staunch pickle lover (in all forms) they found the concept "fun and unusual", but also practical for vegans looking for a revamped canape.
They added that the Braviar could have benefitted from a slight kick of spice to give it more depth, and warned that caviar fans shouldn't expect the same salty seaside finish.
According to them, Braviar is "simply borrowing the form of caviar rather than taste".
A fellow reviewer gave the pickled treat a solid three out of five, praising the presentation of the brown jewels and the accompanying butler's service (yes, really), but was left slightly uninspired by the taste, which they described as "just fine".
"I enjoyed the experience but it was nothing compared to the classic combo of Branston pickle on cheese and toast," they added.
While another colleague admitted that they have "never tasted real caviar" but added that they "can only imagine it tastes exactly like this heavenly concoction".
"The champagne was the perfect accompaniment, although I don't think our budgets will stretch to a glass every time," they added.
A final team member concluded: "I wasn't optimistic but it was a lot better than I was expecting. It worked really well with cream cheese and is an easy way to add a touch of class to a simple canape".
Do you have a story to share? Email us at ellie.fry@reachplc.com
