The Battle Of The Hot Sauces 2022

Hot sauces are my love language. In my house: the cupboard and the fridge door are a library of fiery finds foraged from forgotten food festivals, quirky independent purveyors and, only occasionally, supermarket shelves.

I like all kinds of hot sauces from the hot-on-the-way-in-hotter-on-the-way-outs to the cheeky little throat ticklers but for me one attribute reigns: flavour is king. Although I can stomach the super hot, the sauces that ransack your mouth and leave you quivering in the corner make me feel violated rather than satisfied. I am the kind of person who could (and often does) deploy a hot sauce for instant flavour on most meals so I decided to get my hands on some of the top rated hot sauces currently out there and pit them against each other for the Consommé crown.

I’ll be judging them on three attributes: flavour, versatility and craftsmanship; what follows, after a slightly painful (but not for the reasons you may be thinking) few days of testing, is my top five...

Simon Greenwood-Haigh

No 5. Heriot Hott: Cherry Bourbon and Vanilla Barbeque £4.99, 150ml

Flavour: this was a sauce that I expected big things from but it didn’t quite deliver the heat I was looking for and the flavours were a little… well… lacking. Cherry? Kinda. Bourbon? Nope. Vanilla? Definitely Not. The bottle says the heat is a level 3 out of 10 leaving room for the ‘cherry forward… barbecue flavour’ [to come through] but I’d say heat is the only thing this sauce actually delivers on and quickly kicks any other flavours to the kerb.

Versatility: this is one dimensional at best unfortunately, suited more to your classic meat and not much else.

Craftsmanship: disappointed to see they’d actually used tomato ketchup as an ingredient, sorry guys, even if it is ‘homemade’, it’s a no from me.

Stars: 1 out of 5

Simon Greenwood-Haigh

No 4. South London Sauce Co: Slapple £5.00, 150ml

Flavour: I was really excited to try this one, as the website labels it as “Hot & Tangy. Sweet & Spicy” but it just didn’t deliver for me. The overarching flavour is vinegar. It claims to have a sweetness but the only slight back notes I get are onion and garlic. Visually it looks great and you can see the apple in its eye, so to speak, but in this scenario I’m eating with my mouth.

I can see this being a great starter sauce for those wanting to slowly raise their hot sauce capabilities, or just to jazz up their bangers but if you are looking for a bang for your buck, maybe pass on this one.

Versatility: I tried this with sausages and the vinegar does work well to cut through fatty foods but it’s definitely not an everyday sauce.

Craftsmanship: I was disappointed. It promises so much but doesn’t deliver and on more inspection it’s not exactly all natural which suggests bigger production than the story the brand would have you believe.

Stars: 2 out of 5

Simon Greenwood-Haigh

No 3. Ajumma Republic: Sweet and Spicy Gochujang £3.95, 330g

Flavour: Marketed as an authentic Korean sweet and spicy sauce, this one is very salty but delivers a good intense sweet heat in one flavour burst, so if salt is your jam, you’ll be all over this one.

Versatility: this definitely performs better as a marinade than as a dip, sauce, side of plate or burger topper but could be deployed on lots of foods as a flavoursome marinade and really elevate some unsuspecting veggies.

Craftsmanship: although, again, this is definitely mass produced, it’s a really well put together sauce and a great one to liven up your favourite foods.

Stars: 3 out of 5

Simon Greenwood-Haigh

No 2. Lazy Scientists: Brixton Hot Sauce £7.00, 150ml

Flavour: as an award-winning product, this sauce is the surprise in the pack. It lays a solid tomato foundation as the heat emerges like a majestic walrus sound tracked by Sir David's dulcet tones, strange but you get it, right? It’s simple but effective; I can see why people love it.

Versatility: this is a great addition to any dish regardless if it’s for work, rest or play. Think of it like a more sophisticated and intense Tommy K and you’ve hit the nail on the head.

Craftsmanship: You can really see some high levels here, they may be Lazy but they take their Hot Sauces seriously. Only made from real ingredients and in this corker - there are only 9 of them – which is always a win in my eyes.

 Stars: 3.5 out of 5

Simon Greenwood-Haigh

No 1. HOOTi: Scorchin' Mango and Scotch Bonnet £4, 250ml

Flavour: this is the Holy Grail I was searching for. The flavour is complex and deep so your taste buds are taken on a journey from sweet mango through to subtle spices and then the signature scotch bonnet flavour which builds at the back of the throat. The heat level is good without ruining the whole experience.

Versatility: I could (and probably will) eat this with everything. It works really well as a marinade, dip or on a burger...in fact, I had it with poached eggs for breakfast this morning. HOOTI recommends having it on the side of a fresh grilled chicken salad and that sounds like my next meal.

Craftsmanship: handmade using real ingredients and nothing unnecessary. Simple. Spicy and Spectacular.

Stars: 5 out of 5