Bones Pickles

Tangy, salty, crunchy… There’s a very good reason people go mad for pickles. And in Aotearoa, it’s the jars of Bone Pickles that everybody wants in their fridge.

What began as a side hustle for Canterbury chef Mike Gaynor, has quickly fermented into a full-blown business. The idea for Bones Pickles first came to him while out on a Lincoln University field trip, where masses of vibrant curly cucumbers that weren’t up to supermarket standards were going to the pigs instead. Mike knew there was a better (and tastier) use for these misshaped beauties, and decided to pickle a small batch to distribute to friends and family – it went off from there.

A couple of years on, Mike was joined by another local chef Max Perry. Today, they crank out hundreds of jars of Canterbury-made pickles every week, alongside an ever-growing range of fun, versatile pantry items. These include za’atar (an epic addition to your eggs), vibrant green hot sauces made exclusively with wastage fruit, and a wildly addictive chilli peanut oil. These two are constantly experimenting with new ways to enjoy the cornucopia of cucumbers while minimising waste – so don’t be surprised to see pickle soda, pickle juice shots to quickly relieve muscle cramps, and dehydrated pickle crisps popping up with the ‘Bones Pickles’ label.

While they don’t have a physical store, there are plenty of places to pick up a jar, including all Grizzly Baked Goods locations (the Bones Pickles kitchen is conveniently tucked out the back of Grizzly’s Buchan Street bakery window), Frances Nation, and a huge range of other specialty grocers up and down the country. Mainstream supermarket shelves are next.

Whether you prefer them with cheese and crackers, in toasties and burgers, mixed into dips, or plucked straight from the jar, everything just tastes better with Bones Pickles.