Gherkin: The Unexpected Star of London’s Food and Culture Scene

When you hear Gherkin, a small, pickled cucumber often served in British pubs and sandwiches. Also known as pickled cucumber, it’s a staple on pub platters and a quiet symbol of British food tradition. But in London, Gherkin also means something else—something that towers over the Thames. The 30 St Mary Axe, a sleek, glass-walled skyscraper nicknamed the Gherkin for its shape. Also known as the Gherkin building, it’s one of London’s most recognizable modern landmarks, designed to cut through wind and light up the skyline. These two Gherkins—one eaten, one admired—are connected by more than just a name. They both represent London’s ability to turn simple things into lasting icons.

The food Gherkin has been part of British meals for centuries. It’s not fancy, but it’s reliable. You’ll find it in a ploughman’s lunch, tucked into a sandwich at a train station, or floating in a jar behind the counter of a traditional pub. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t need a menu description—it just shows up, and everyone knows what it is. Meanwhile, the building Gherkin doesn’t just look different—it changed how London builds. Its curved design saves energy, its open floors let in natural light, and its shape lets wind flow around it instead of against it. Architects studied it. Tourists take pictures of it. Locals barely notice it anymore. That’s how you know it’s truly part of the city.

What ties them together? Both are humble in origin, yet became something bigger. The pickled cucumber didn’t set out to define British taste—it just survived because it worked. The building didn’t plan to become a symbol—it was just the right shape at the right time. And now, both live side by side in London’s story: one in your lunchbox, one in your skyline. You’ll find stories about them in the posts below—how the Gherkin pickle fits into London’s food culture, how the Gherkin building shaped the city’s skyline, and why both are quietly essential to what London is.