The History of the Pickled Onion Contest

2023

The winners of The Pickled Onion Contest 2023, as judged by Dan Hunter, Luke Kendrick and Nyomi were:

From Reading Today:
Preview of the 2023 Pickled Onion Contest
Results and winner article with some great photos

PLACE	NAME	POINTS
1st	Liz Rebbeck	91
2nd	Clair Price	83
3rd	Kevin Harrington	82
4th	Adrienne Giles	78
5th	Phil Rubin	73
6th	Sasha Woods	69
7th	Muriel	53

2022

The winners of The Pickled Onion Contest 2022, as judged by Annabel O’Grady, Luke Kendrick and Dan Hunter were:

PLACE	NAME	POINTS
1st	Phil Rubin *	98
2nd	Liz Rebbeck	90
3rd	Sasha Woods	86
4th	Tilly Harrington	81
5th	Clair Price, entered as PBK **	80
6th	Dave Crocker	72
7th	Rob Pace	70
8th	Mark Birmingham	62
9th	Kevin Harrington ***	45

YouTube video of the awards presentation by Luke Kendrick

Photo Gallery

2021

Owing to COVID-19, The Pickled Onion Contest in 2021 was cancelled.

2020

Here are the winners and placings of all the entrants for the Pickled Onion Contest 2020.

PLACE	NAME	POINTS	NOTES
1st	Phil Rubin	101	St John’s Street resident
2nd	Liz Rebbeck	97
3rd	Kevin Harrington	91
4th	Andy Ray	83
5th	Sarah Johnstone	81
6th	Adrienne Giles	80
7th	Wyn Moseley	79
8th joint	Jo Cummins-Moseley	74
8th joint	Sasha Woods	74	St John’s Street resident
10th	Clair Price	73	St John’s Street resident
11th	John Slattery	71
12th	Dishon Vas	69	We understand the entry was prepared by Sheldon Fernandes
13th	Brian Moignard	47	St John’s Street resident

The 2020 Winners

2019

• 1st place: Jo Cummins-Moseley with her gin-flavoured pickled onions.

2018

The competition in 2018 was cancelled following the death of Sally Winslet.

2017

• 1st place: Sally Winslet

2016

• Results not known.

2015

• 1st place: Caroline O’Sullivan with her first-ever attempt at making pickled onions.

2014

Many people thought this would be last year of the contest. Read all about peoples then concerns and the challenge of deciding what a winning pickled onion is like: https://www.getreading.co.uk/lifestyle/food-drink/food-monthly-ill-miss-pickled-6465537

Here is a video of the Pickled Onion contest in 2014:

2013

Sunday, February 23 2013

• 1st place: Bruce Beck, a past winner, from Caversham Park
• 2nd place: Robert Scott-George, a former winner
• 3rd place: Doris Panda with the assistance of Martin Hoare

2012

• 1st place: Sally Winslet
• 2nd place: Martin Hoare, under the pseudonym Doris Panda
• 3rd place: Jill Scott-George

2011

Results not know.

2010

• 1st place: Bruce Beck of Caversham Park

2009

Kate Winslet won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the 2008 film The Reader. In the press conference afterwards, she mentioned her mother Sally winning The Pickled Onion Competiton at The Retreat. See the video below:

Here is a video about the competition in 2009

Sally Winslet famously won the contest in 2009. The original result saw landlady Jane Marsden as the winner. Jane gave her crown to the eventual winner Sally Winslet.

The result:

• Sally Winslet
• Martin Hoare
• Henry and Beth (daughter of Sally Winslet)

The competition was judged by:

• Paul Clerehugh, London Street Brasserie and Crooked Billet chef
• Hilary Scott, Evening Post deputy editor
• Chris Roger, former County Delicacies owner, now of Vicar’s Game.

This is a link to the BBC report that year: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/7905679.stm

2008

• 1st place: Sally Winslet

2007

• 1st place: Sally Winslet

2006

• 1st place: Sally Winslet

The first place went to Sally Winslet, but there was a lot of controversy about other entrants cheating. 2005

Results not known.

2004

The Dove public house on the corner of Orts Road and Leopold Road in Newtown, Reading, used to host an annual Pickled Onion Competition. The Dove closed in 2004 and the competition moved to The Retreat pub where it has been held regularly since. >>> read more