I’m obsessed with lime pickle. It’s savoury, sour, funky, spicy and full of bold personality that enlivens anything it’s smeared on. It’s made by salting and fermenting limes with chillies and spices for a fierce, flavour-packed condiment that’s traditionally eaten as a side to poppadoms or with simple dal and rice. Over the years, I have also folded it into grilled cheese toasties, marinades for fat prawns to barbecue in the summer or made compound butters with it to smother over sweet potatoes before roasting. It’s an instant flavour bomb and my pantry is never without a jar.

Lime pickle roast chicken (pictured top)

This has all the addictive pleasure of peri peri chicken. If your lime pickle is too mild, feel free to add a red chilli to the marinade.

Prep 10 min
Chill 2 hr
Marinate 2 hr
Cook 1 hr 15 min
Serves 4

1 medium chicken (about 1.4kg)
Salt and black pepper
4 fat garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp lime pickle
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander, plus a handful extra to finish
75g softened butter
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus the juice of ½ lemon

First, spatchcock the chicken – this will ensure an even and fast cook. Put the bird breast side down on a board with its legs facing towards you. With strong kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck, then lift out and remove. Spread out the chicken, turn it over, then press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten it. Make a few diagonal slashes along the breast on each side, season the skin generously all over with salt and pepper, and chill for two hours. (This draws out moisture, which increases the flavour and makes the skin go more crisp during cooking.)

To make the lime pickle butter, put the garlic, lime pickle and coriander in a food processor, blitz to a paste, then stir through 50g of the softened butter. Rub the paste all over the skin of the chicken and, if you have time, leave to marinate for another two hours.

When you’re ready to cook, heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, then roast the bird, basting regularly, for 45 minutes to an hour, until cooked through. Remove and transfer to a warm plate to rest for 15 minutes.

Pour the cooking juices, including the lovely fat, into a pan on a medium-low heat. Warm through with the remaining 25g butter, lemon zest and juice, and the extra handful of coriander, pour the sauce all over the chicken and serve immediately with chips or roast potatoes.

Lime pickle, green chilli and cheddar scones

These are perfect for brunch or an afternoon snack; I especially love them to bolster a bowl of soup.

Prep 15 min
Chill 1 hr
Cook 35 min
Makes 8

240g plain flour
10g baking powder
¼ tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper
125g mature cheddar, grated
115g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
75g lime pickle, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely sliced
125g buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

Put the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and half the cheddar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the cold butter, pickle and green chillies, then briefly mix into the flour. Do not overwork – the butter should be visible and in irregular sizes. Mix in the buttermilk a little at a time, then tip out on to a work surface and push the dough together, scraping any dry bits to the middle. Roll out to a roughly 40cm-long rectangle and sprinkle over half the remaining cheese. Fold the top third over the middle and then the bottom third over them both.

Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again to a 40cm-long rectangle. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and fold again as before. Pat the dough into a 3cm-thick rectangle, trim the edges to neaten, then cut into eight even squares. Place on a lined baking sheet and chill for an hour.

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg, bake for 12-15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 170C (150C fan)/340F/gas 3½ and bake for a further eight minutes, until golden. Transfer the scones to a rack and serve warm or cool.

Achaari Mary

A classic hangover cure with a jab of lime pickle for a pop of surprise. If you prefer, replace the salt, pepper and lime zest mix with two teaspoons of Tajín.

Prep 5 min
Makes 1

2 tsp sea salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
½-1 tsp lime pickle, depending on how strong you like it
40ml vodka
20ml lime juice
200ml tomato juice
Tabasco, to taste
2 lime wedges
1 pickled jalapeño, threaded on to a cocktail skewer to garnish

In a small bowl, mix the salt, pepper and lime zest. In a blender, whizz the lime pickle, vodka, lime juice, tomato juice and a few drops of Tabasco.

Rub a lime wedge all around the rim of a chilled highball glass, dip the rim in the salt and pepper mixture (or Tajín) and shake off any excess. Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice, pour in the liquid and serve with a skewered pickled jalapeño and the second wedge of lime.