Too hot to handle: why chilli sauces are on fire

Feel the burn

For some, the idea of a shop that sells craft beer, hot sauce and coffee might sound odd (it used to be odder: coffee has replaced vinyl records as the ‘black’ in the name) but it works perfectly for Ferguson and partner Glenn Williams, who run two London shops in East Dulwich and Deptford. They’re in their 10th year now and hot sauce has never been more popular.

“When we started, a lot of people would come in and say, I understand the beer, I understand the wine, but… hot sauce?” says Ferguson. “I think our ideal customer was someone who was obsessive about craft beer and hot sauce too – we looked at our fridge at the time and there were 14 different sauces. We felt this was an obsession that people would eventually understand – and that moment has come.”

"Sauces go from mild to wild, but no-one wants to screw themselves up on a regular basis"

The East Dulwich shop is a treat for the senses, a visual festival of the imagination and innovation that makes modern food and drink branding such a thrill. At the front is a coffee machine, manned by genial store manager Nathan Taylor, and behind him is an impressively well-curated range of beer, wine and hot sauce. But it’s the hot sauce bottles that really stand out, owing to their colour, branding and names.

The average customer is similar to those that drink craft beer, Ferguson says: people in their thirties or forties who are interested in flavour. But the hot sauce demographic has widened and deepened in recent years: long gone are the days when hot sauces invariably came laden with an appalling name (eg, “Colon Crusher”), and branding to match. The sauce can still thrill, but the appeal is no longer pre-teen.

Customers like to consume sauce with pretty much anything, Ferguson says. “People want sauces they can use in their day-to-day lives. Sauces go from mild to wild, but no-one wants to screw themselves up on a regular basis. Most people go for middling heat.”

Hot sauce has changed in terms of what’s available, too. For a long time, vinegar-based sauces such as Tabasco have dominated, but other flavours are now growing in popularity. Ferguson highlights Korean sauces, hot honey and Sichuan-style chilli oil as trends to watch. “I use chilli oil on my poached eggs every morning,” she says. “You can use it on pretty much anything.”

"It’s a good idea for restaurants – buy the cookbook and apron on the way out, and why not the hot sauce too?”

A lot of the more popular sauces are homegrown, in contrast to big names such as Cholula and Tabasco. There’s Yok Chan, whose chilli oil is made in Woodford Green in London, Dr Sting, whose hot honey is made in south-east London, and Thiccc Sauces, which is made in Leeds and stocked in Selfridges. Hot Burns & Black has its own range of sauces, too, which, Ferguson says are its best seller and work as a souvenir of the shop.

It’s a trick that restaurants could easily emulate. “It’s nice to partner with a local brand, to have that on your restaurant table,” says Ferguson. “We’re doing 10 collaborations this year for our birthday, and two of them are hot sauces. It’s a good idea for restaurants – buy the cookbook and apron on the way out, and why not the hot sauce too?”

Feeling fruity

There’s a remarkable variety of different condiments available now. Take, for example, banana ketchup, a sweet and tangy Filipino classic that has been popularised by chefs like Budgie Montoya at his London restaurants Apoy and Sarap. It’s a sauce that’s increasingly well-known by British customers, with a version made by a company called RoniB’s Kitchen available in Aldi supermarkets up and down the UK since the start of May.

The sauce brand’s founder and director, Roni Bandong-McSorley, says: “Made with ripe bananas, banana ketchup is a great condiment for burgers, hot dogs and chips; it can be sprinkled on food such as pizzas, omelettes, pork barbecue skewers and fried chicken.”

RoniB’s Kitchen also produces a Filipino Adobo sauce, “a delicate blend of cider vinegar, soy sauce, paprika, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf” that can be used to make a traditional Filipino adobo, and Filipino Labuyo hot chilli sauce, which combines bird’s eye chillies with mango and pineapple “to create a fruity yet spicy hot sauce”.

Kimchi is even better known in the UK and spice-loving British consumers have taken it to their hearts, but, as Helen Bowyer, commercial director at the Compleat Food Group (which owns the Vadasz pickles brand), points out that despite kimchi’s growing popularity it hasn’t always been easy for operators to add it to their menus. 

“Long and often complex fermentation processes mean sauces can be difficult for time-poor chefs to create in-house from scratch,” she says. “Vadasz produces a kimchi in 1kg pots so operators can scoop it onto salads or serve alongside Asian dishes to add an extra depth of flavour and texture.”

She adds that it’s on the menu at vegan pizza restaurant Purezza in London, Manchester and Brighton, where it’s being used as a topping in the restaurant’s popular BBQ Bourbon pizza “to add a zing of additional flavour”.

“Fun twists on classic sauces don’t need to be bought in specially"

And then there’s jalapeño jelly, one of a variety of spicy options available from Funnybones Foodservice that can be used to spice up classic options, according to development chef Tom Styman-Heighton.

“Fun twists on classic sauces don’t need to be bought in specially,” he says. “Operators can do it in-house by combining flavours. Mix one part mayonnaise and two parts Funnybones’ jalapeño jelly for a spicy dip, two parts mayonnaise and three parts Funnybones’ redpepajam for red-hot chilli mayo, or equal parts mayonnaise and Funnybones’ buffalo wing sauce to take the edge off this punchy dip while creating a creamy texture.”

Whichever way you look at it, a desire for spice continues to grow across foodservice at all levels, but particularly casual dining. Could the trend have peaked? Back at Hop Burns & Black, Ferguson believes heat is here to stay. “It’s been getting to pretty silly hype levels recently – maybe we’ve reached peak hot sauce hype – but I think people have brought spice into their eating habits now. It’s not a flash in the pan.”

Black gold

If hot sauce is fashionable, Guinness is on another level. Since the Covid-19 lockdowns, this Irish stout has gone gangbusters – to the extent that one in 10 pints served in the UK is now Guinness, according to the brand’s owners Diageo. But how do chefs capitalise on that? Perhaps by using the Flava People’s new Guinness range, developed in collaboration with the Guinness chef team and head beer sommelier.

“The incorporation of Guinness into dishes is a secret ingredient loved by many chefs,” says Scott Dixon, Flava People managing director. “Guinness brings a malty magic that helps chefs deliver more taste in their meals. We’ve created a range of condiments and ingredients for operators. Our Guinness products of dry seasonings, wet sauces and bespoke solutions don’t just pack umami but work well to enhance flavour in many classic British dishes – from a steak and ale pie to a chilli con carne.”

Dixon suggests these products could be used in less classic dishes, too. “An element of fusion could be the way forward,” he says. “British fusion has been earmarked as a big trend throughout 2024 and beyond as operators find new ways to enhance and develop British classics. In fact, a survey conducted by CGA/NielsenIQ for Bidfood found that one in three respondents felt British fusion spans the divide between vibrant international cuisine and British comfort food, and 68% of respondents found the concept appealing.”

Suppliers

Dr Sting’s Hot Honey drstings.com

Funnybones Foodservice funnybones.co.uk

RoniB’s Kitchen ronibkitchen.co.uk

The Flava People theflavapeople.com

Thiccc Sauces www.thicccsauce.com

Vadasz vadaszdeli.co.uk

Yok Chan www.yokchanschillioil.com