There are many different opinions on this question, and many kinds of reasons for the different opinions. We have read everything we can on the subject and decided for ourselves that our relish is a savoury, mostly, but not always, vegetable based preserve that does not have dominant sweetness, but rather more complex sweet/sour combined with other flavour profiles. Its texture is chunky with produce although smooth enough to spread. Chutney, for us, always contains fruit, even if it is not fruit based. Therefore, chutney has a predominantly sweet flavour profile. It usually has a ‘heavier’ texture than relish. Pickles, according to us, are mostly vegetable (lime pickles being an obvious and delicious exception) and are usually highly acid with a dominant sour flavour profile. Pickles can be spreadable having a light ‘sauce’, but are often bottled in clear, spiced vinegar which can be tipped off and used in cooking and salad dressings.
Yes, seven of our ten flavours carry medals from the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. Spicy Green Tomato won Gold in 2022 (after Bronze in 2021), Hot Dog Relish won Gold in 2023 and Silver in 2022, Spicy Zucchini won Silver in 2025, Spicy Nectarine won Silver in 2024, and Ripe Tomato, Green Tomato and Beetroot have each taken home Bronze. Every jar is made from the same heritage recipes, whether it has a medal or not.
Yes, every Women's Work relish is naturally gluten free and vegan, made from real produce with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Our Caramelised Onion uses a gluten free malt vinegar. Full ingredient lists and nutrition panels live on every product page and on every jar.
Our relish is naturally preserved using age old techniques and all natural ingredients, with a very low pH that makes it shelf stable and safe. Unopened jars keep for 2 years from the date of manufacture, and the best before date is printed on every jar. Store unopened jars in a cool, dark pantry. Once opened, keep the jar in the fridge and enjoy it within 30 days.
Yes. Mix and match any three 330g jars and $5 comes off automatically at checkout, or any three 115g jars for $4 off, no code needed. Make it six and the saving doubles. For serious relish lovers, our Build Your Own Dozen saves over 20% and ships free.
Standard shipping is a $12 flat rate Australia wide, no matter how many jars you order, and Express Post is a flat $18. Orders over $120 ship free with standard delivery. We also offer free local delivery within 10km of Glenorie NSW 2157, and click and collect if you would like to pick up your order. Every order is packed by hand in our Hawkesbury kitchen and delivered via Australia Post or Aramex.
We will fulfil and have your order booked in for courier collection within 24 hours. On average we find your order will be delivered within 3 working days of collection, with regional and remote areas sometimes taking a little longer.
We package our product super carefully to reduce the chance of any breakages but unfortunately, being glass jars, we do occasionally experience damage during transit. If your order arrives in less than perfect condition please email us at hello@womenswork.com.au or via our contact page with images of the damage (so we can follow up with our courier) and we will have a full replacement out to you ASAP.
We offer a 100% happiness guarantee. If you are not happy with your purchase for any reason, you have 30 days from the day it arrives to contact us at hello@womenswork.com.au and we will organise an exchange, replacement or refund. Please see our Shipping, Return & Refund Policy for the full details.
We do. Our relishes are stocked in over 150 premium stores across Australia, and we welcome new stockists, cafes and food businesses. Please do not pay retail: email hello@womenswork.com.au and we will set you up with wholesale pricing. Our 2kg food service tubs listed on the site are retail pricing for superfans; trade customers should always reach out first.
Our products are artisan made rather than mass produced. Mass produced products are made to be consistent, not only with every item made, but with the type of machinery being used to make them. Our products are made by human hands in small batches with produce that has been grown locally. Just as wines that have the same ingredients vary according to the conditions of the seasons in which the fruit grows, our relishes vary in colour, sometimes texture, and even a little in flavour according to how much rain there has been, what side of the paddock they are grown in or when they are harvested, for a few examples. They also vary because, unlike mass produced products, we adjust the amount of sugar we add according to how sweet the produce is naturally. We try to add as little as possible but still maintain fundamental consistency of flavour – we also need to add some sugar to support natural preservation of our products.
We only use locally grown produce for our products and we only use those products when they are in season. We make as many jars of our varieties as we can while the bounty of the season allows, but when they are gone, they are gone until the next season. Needless to say, we are very busy making in the summer and autumn months. In the winter, we usually only have the lemon pepper relish to make because that is when the lemons are in season. Consequently, we often run out of lemon pepper first, not only because it is popular, but because its season isn’t consistent with our other products. It’s a little like a winery making olive oil in the off season.
A lid is over tight because of the natural vacuum seal produced during our bottling process. It’s actually a good thing that protects the product and supports a long shelf life. It can be frustrating when you’re dying to get into your relish though! We use a rubber strap wrench which is available in the plumbing supplies of hardware stores which is fail safe. The best way other than that is to run the lid of the jar under very hot water for about 30 seconds and then try. Please don’t ‘tap’ the lid of the jar on benchtops or ‘whack’ the lid with a spoon handle. We would hate for any damage done to the glass or lid to become dangerous to you.
Relishes are traditionally used to compliment main dishes. They provide flavour and texture contrast as well as spicing up plain food or ‘cooling down’ spicy food. There is, however, truly no end to their uses. They can be used as an ingredient in soups, pasta, stews, quiches, gravies, sauces or anything. They can be eaten as part of a cheese and/or charcuterie board. In our customers' words: they put it on everything, cheese and crackers included. We can’t eat sandwiches without relish and when we go to a café for breakfast and they give us tomato sauce rather than relish with our eggs we never go back. Same with burgers.
Don’t eat it! Just let us know and we’ll replace it. We check the seal on all our products regularly, and we will never deliberately send a product out with a broken seal, so it’s unlikely to be dangerous to eat, but it’s not worth taking chances.
Our full range lives right here online. Our products can also be found in over 150 boutique and premium outlets across the country; find your nearest on our Store Locator.
We don’t use any additives or stabilisers in our products so sometimes there is a little natural ‘separation’ especially if the jar has been sitting still for a while. This will have no impact on flavour or quality. Just stir the jar before serving, or shake it before opening or gifting.