Fermenting the Future: Paula’s Pickling Workshop

Daisy Steel
3 days ago
3 min read

If there’s one thing Paula loves more than a beautifully fermented jar of vegetables, it’s sharing the joy of fermentation with others. For December’s podcast, the Fabulous Frome team joined a lively workshop that explored the ancient art of pickling through a modern, sustainable lens.

What unfolded was part science lesson, part culinary adventure, and part gentle reminder that some of the oldest techniques we know are still among the most powerful.

Ancient Craft, Modern Urgency

Paula began with a simple but startling fact: around 30 percent of all food produced ends up as waste. In a world grappling with sustainability, fermentation is more than a trend. It’s a 9,000-year-old solution hiding in plain sight.

Early civilisations used fermentation to preserve crops, stretch harvests through long winters, and make plants more digestible. Today, the science backs them up. Fermented vegetables can be up to four times more nutrient-accessible, thanks to the work of lactobacilli - the friendly bacteria that transform pickled cabbage, carrots and cauliflower into gut-boosting jars of goodness.

Listen to the full Unfiltered interview here

A Journey Into Slow Food

Paula shared her own path into fermentation, sparked by a curiosity which deepened during the pandemic, when slow food suddenly made sense. Fermentation asks for patience. A handful of salt. Clean vegetables. A jar with a lid. Time. That’s really it.

“No fancy kit needed,” she told the group, smiling as people relaxed at the idea. “Your microbes do the work.”

Sonia, Becky and I gathered around Paula’s table with bowls of chopped vegetables, discovering how simple techniques - slicing, salting, massaging - can unlock flavours and longevity in food that might otherwise end up in the compost.

Who’s in the Room? A Mix of First-Timers and Adventurers

One participant was completely new to fermenting. Another had once pickled blueberries. One brave soul confessed to multiple failed attempts at kefir. A kombucha fan shared their love–hate relationship with their SCOBY.

Far from intimidating, it became a room full of shared stories, mistakes and experiments. Paula made it clear there’s no one right way to ferment. The variables - salt, temperature and time - can be adjusted, and every household has its own style.

Fermentation: A Partnership With Microbes

At the heart of the workshop was an idea that fascinated everyone: fermentation is a collaboration between humans and microbes.

We provide the vegetables, the salt, the jar. The microbes - bacteria naturally present on fresh produce - take it from there, breaking down plant fibres, enhancing flavour, and producing compounds that support gut health.

Paula referenced experts like Dr Tim Spector, whose work on gut diversity and the Zoe health app has brought this conversation into the mainstream. Fermented foods, she explained, offer prebiotics, probiotics and post-biotics - a trio that helps keep our internal ecosystem thriving.

A Cultural Story Spanning Centuries

Fermentation isn’t tied to one cuisine. Korean kimchi, German sauerkraut, Ethiopian injera, Japanese miso, Eastern European kvass - every culture has fermented its crops in its own way.

“Fermentation is survival, culture and creativity,” Paula said. “It’s where we meet our ancestors in the kitchen.”

The Practical Magic: Salt, Time and Trust

After the storytelling came the practical work. Paula walked everyone through creating the right anaerobic environment so the bacteria can thrive safely. Salt is the key - it protects the vegetables while allowing the good microbes to flourish.

Soon the room was filled with jars layered with colour: reds, greens, golds and whites from cabbage, beetroot, radish, carrot, onion and more. We packed our jars tight, covered them with brine, and labelled them for the slow transformation ahead.

Food, Community and the Joy of Passing It On

One of the highlights was how much people enjoyed sharing: their questions, their worries, their favourite flavour combinations. Paula encouraged everyone to keep talking, to keep experimenting and to keep connecting.

She offered book suggestions, accounts to follow online, and tips for adapting recipes from around the world.

A Final Stir of Encouragement

As jars were sealed and hands wiped clean, Paula reminded us that fermentation is a relationship built on respect - for the food, for the growers, and for the natural process itself.

Sonia, Becky and I each left with a jar of our own, a head full of inspiration, and the sense that something ancient and hopeful was beginning to bubble.

If you feel tempted to give it a go, all you need is a clean jar, some vegetables, and a little salt. The microbes will do the rest.

And if you’re interested in attending one of Paula’s classes yourself, you can find out more here: Get Pickled - Somerset.

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