Nearest And Dearest

The Pledges are going bankrupt and their picklers go to work for another company. Starving, they're forced to sell everything in the house...

Pledge's Purer Pickles is virtually bankrupt, and Nellie is trying to pay off the huge overdraft by writing a cheque to the bank, whilst Eli is attempting to sell the business to Mr Hardcastle of Hardcastle's Pickles. Soon, things are so bad they are forced to sell the furniture just to pay the wages.

Eventually, all the staff leave Nellie to run the factory on her own. Eli asks if she managed to run the production line solo: "Me beetroots boiled over twice, and I didn't like the look of my chutney".

There's no meat in the house, all they can eat is pickled everything; Eli wants to eat either Nellie or the horse. They've got nothing left to pawn either, unless... well, the attic does hold a lot of family heirlooms... but nothing they want to lose.

Then, of course, Lily and Walter appear on the scene and Walter has some compensation money from the council (but they aren't sharing). Things take a turn for the better when Hardcastle's Pickles is shut down due to a foreign 'clog iron' in the vinegar - the Pledges are back in business!