I opened a glass jar of Indian carrot chilli pickles the other day. "Best before" date was July 2011. It still had the satisfying pop of the vacuum seal. The t

I opened a glass jar of Indian carrot chilli pickles the other day. "Best before" date was July 2011. It still had the satisfying pop of the vacuum seal. The top layer was a bit discoloured and dry as I guess it was above the pickling liquid. Scooped that bit out and the rest was fine - I survived to tell the tale at least!