The Pickled Onion Competition 2026
2026-03-15 15:00 - 18:00 (Europe/London)
You are invited to enter the Pickled Onion Contest 2026 at The Retreat pub in Reading. This is a very straightforward contest: You make your pickled onions, bring them to The Retreat, and we judge the winners. Read the history of the Pickled Onion Contest.
Here are the details you need:
DATE: Sunday 15th March 2026
TIME: 15.00 to 18.00
VENUE: The Retreat, 8 St Johns Street, Reading, RG1 4EH
COST: Free to enter
You can make our life easier by letting us know if you are entering, but this is not essential. An idea of numbers helps us prepare better.
Spectators are welcome. There should be ample opportunity to sample the submissions as well.
Pickled Onion Contest Rules

You must make your own pickled onions from raw onions or shallots.
You may add any ingredients you like.
Your entry should be brought to The Retreat, on the day of the contest at 15.00, in a sealed container.
Do not put your name on the jar. Your entry will be given a number that the judges will refer to.

Judging Criteria
The judges will decide the winners based on the following criteria:

Appearance
Colour
Crunch
Taste

The Judges
The judges’ names will be posted here soon.

The History of the Pickled Onion Contest

This is what Wikipedia has to say about Pickled Onions:
Pickled onions are a food item consisting of onions (cultivars of allium cepa) pickled in a solution of vinegar and salt, often with other preservatives and flavourings. There is a variety of small white pickled onions known as ‘silverskin’ onions, due to imperfections they are pickled instead of being wasted. They are frequently used as an essential component of the Martini cocktail variant known as a Gibson.
Pickled onions are usually pickled in malt vinegar and the onions are about 25 mm (1 inch) in diameter. Silverskin onions are pickled in white vinegar and are much smaller. Full-sized onions, e.g. Spanish Onions, can be pickled if sliced first.

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The definition of low-key:
low-key
/ləʊˈkiː/
adjective: low-key
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RULES: Contest Rules (well, you’ve got to have some!)

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Links to the Rules and Past Events

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Bloody Mary Contest Rules
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