Adding one ingredient to pasta salad makes it the perfect BBQ side

As the sun peeks out and we say hello to spring and summer, it's prime time for escaping outdoors, finally enjoying barbeques and picnics. And this often means switching from heavy meals to lighter nibbles, crunchy crisps with dips, and an array of pastas and salads.

That means it's the perfect time of year to put together a pasta salad, and it's a great side to take to a barbeque or other outdoor gathering. When it comes to making the perfect pasta salad – getting that blend of taste and texture spot on is key.

We've all suffered a pasta salad slump when drowned in gloopy mayo, but fear not, foodies swear by one simple supermarket staple to rescue the dish and inject layers of flavour.

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Speaking to , Mimi Nguyen, the brains behind Cafely, chef Dennis Littley, and Jessica Randhawa, a chef and food writer known for her recipes, all say that stirring in pickle juice – yes, the stuff from the jar that normally gets thrown out - can elevate a simple pasta salad.

The briny kick, when mixed into the sauce, works well in a creamy concoction, giving the dish a lift.

Jessica says: "A generous splash of pickle juice (usually from dill or bread-and-butter pickles) completely transforms macaroni salad from good to exceptional."

Jessica explains that gherkin brine will "brighten the salad with subtle acidity and sweetness, balancing the richness of the mayo-based sauce and enhancing all the other flavours".

Yet, it's important to strike the right balance with the amount you use to avoid overwhelming your dish and ending up with a gherkin-flavoured salad.

Dennis advised: "You want just enough to bring some brightness without making the salad taste like straight-up pickles.

"It's a small move, but it makes a big difference in flavour."

Brine can also be a great addition to mayo and mustard-based dressings too.