When you’re in a pickle, try a jar from Lidl | Brief letters

Superlative gherkins | Areas of outstanding natural beauty | Frisson | Private Number

I was surprised to see that your article (‘The crunch? Spot on’: the best supermarket gherkins, tasted and rated, 13 September) didn’t include the Lidl own-brand option, which are lovely, whether you want full-size gherkins or crunchy cornichons. Despite this glaring omission, I do agree with Tom Hunt’s rating of the Sainsbury’s gherkins, which are inedible.
Saskia Neibig
Newcastle upon Tyne

• In Sy’s weekend crossword (20 September), a number of clues refer to areas of outstanding natural beauty. Of the clues, only the Ring of Gullion in Northern Ireland is still known as an AONB. All the others, in England and Wales, are national landscapes, renamed in 2023. I hope this fact might now be added to Sy’s vast area of general knowledge.
Marney Harris
Esh Winning, County Durham