Thai Pickled Garlic

Boil the vinegar in a pan and add the salt and sugar, then stir until the syrup is smooth and simmering. Drop in the garlic cloves and bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. I like the cloves to be slightly firm so I remove them from the hot vinegar at this stage to let them cook quickly. Pack the garlic into clean sterilised jars and pour over the pickle juice, making sure the cloves are covered. They will be ready to eat after 1 week but improve with age. [I've some jars 3 years old that are still excellent] It will probably be necessary to peel the cloves before eating. I prefer to use the French storage jars with wide mouths as you get a much better seal. Thai garlic is normally pickled as whole bulbs, with skin and stem still intact. Unfortunately most English varieties are too tough for this treatment and you will need to divided them into cloves, however I find Rocambole is suitable for pickling whole.