Pickled cucumber

 Ingredients

2 cucumbers

200 ml cider vinegar

200 ml water

150g caster sugar

½ tsp fennel seeds

5 peppercorns

2 star anise

6 sprigs of dill

Slice cucumbers into 1-cm pieces and sprinkle with 2 tbsp rock salt crystals and leave on a plate in the fridge for 12 hours.

Have 2 clean Kilner jars at the ready, having boiled the lids/seals and put jars in a 140C oven for 25 mins to sterilise. Leave to dry on kitchen paper.

Put pickle ingredients - except dill -  in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring till sugar dissolves.

Remove cucumber from fridge, rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper then pack into the jars with the dill.  

Pour hot pickle over and tap jars to remove any air bubbles.

Close lids while still hot and then once cool refrigerate for 1 week before opening.

Keep in fridge.