Hot-Headz Chilli sauces

We've had a hotter than normal winter, no I am not referring to the mild weather, its the selection of chilli sauce sent to me by Hot - Headz

Now any one reading this blog over the tears will know about our love of spicy food and we all love chilli sauce in different strengths and amounts. Conor loves the milder strength, ranging from Paige loving it hot, if you remember she tried the hottest chilli sauce at the Good Food Show and cried it was so strong!

I love a hot chilli sauce, but like one with depth of flavour, Chris just is well a man who has chilli eating sessions, the hotter the better. If a sauce brings tears to his eyes its deemed highly.

He surprised me when he tried the Bru Bru Brother Sauce which wasn't one of the hottest sauces. This became an instant hit with Chris and Conor. Its the new ketchup in our house. Its been added to my chicken fried rice, in hamburgers, on cheese sandwiches. It stands as the fastest use of a bottle of chilli sauce.

The flavour is just right along with the heat, its a main staple in the cupboard now.

Now as chilli con carne is a constant meal in our house, I make it with a good chilli powder and add cumin for  Mexican authenticity. I actually toned my normal chilli amount as I want to try the Tapatío salsa picante with the meal.

I need not have worried as this sauce brings more of a taste  experience than a mad heat.

It has almost a lime taste, its hot don't get me wrong, but the flavour is more than the heat.

I have since added it to my raw salsa instead of my usual fresh chilli and it was a lovely change

250g fresh tomatoes, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tsp Tapatio

coriander a good handful finely chopped

juice from a fresh lime

1/2 tbsp water

salt if needed

Mix all together in a bowl and serve straight away.

Now for the mad chilli sauces.

We and when I say 'we' It was Chris and I alone, Paige has memories of her burning mouth and tears that kept coming long after the burn had left her tongue. For a 13 year old I still believe this was her maddest act.

With a huge red chilli on the front you get a sense of caution instantly. I added a drop to my plate of chips and wow is it hot. Chris as usual in what I am sure is an attempt to impress me, sprinkled it all over his chips. He did well and ate the plate but I could see the hidden cry for help in his eyes (What is it with guys and chilli sauce)

This next sauce warns off the faint hearted with the name. But actually if you love the heat it also gives a smoky depth.

It was the sauce I grabbed when I made a Jambalaya not spicy enough for my taste buds.I imagine this would be great with a sausage and chorizo casserole to add a spicy smoked heat. 

Finally the one that I actually had to dare, Chris even had one drop to try it out as the bottle states 357,000 on the Scoville scale ( the scale that measures the heat of chilli)

I am afraid I tasted the minutest drop more a speck on a potato wedge and it made me think my mouth was on fire. Reaching for a glass of milk, something I never drink gave my tongue release. Oh and don't drink water its the worst thing you can do!

Chris added a full drop, earlier dabbling with the Naga Bhut Jolokia had brought him to his senses and this one might just have brought him to his knees.

He was silent for a moment and again a plea for help flickered in his eyes. He hurriedly ate more wedges and the intensity was dampened.

He does add this one to his food, but I do see the extreme care taken in where on the plate it goes and though he could never admit it, he eyes it with a look of fear!

We have loved this exploration of sauces sold by Hot-Headz and looking at the website there are some fabulous ones to try. I also noticed that many are on offer at the moment. So do check them out.

I bought chilli sauce before as a Valentines day present for Chris, the sauces certainly keep the flames of passion alive.

Below is Hot-Headz guide to the sauces I tried.

So, add a bit of a kick to 2012 with a unique connoisseur chilli sauce specially chosen by Hot-Headz!, stockists of the largest selection of all things chilli in the UK (www.hot-headz.com). It’s quirky,original, has fantastic novelty value and is something that will be used!

We all know there is a love hate relationship between men in particular and chillies. They can’t resist the temptation of tingling taste buds and yet when they indulge they end up asking themselves ‘why on earth did I do that’ whilst swilling down gallons of water to kill the heat (big mistake by the way; see below as to why) - and then they go and do it again! It’s all down to the endorphins that chillies make us produce by creating a sense of euphoria, along with a pinch of male bravado no doubt!

And with a bottle of superb provenance chilli sauce from Hot-Headz!, typically costing from £3.99 to £6.99, itwon’t make a dent in the old wallet. So why not buy a bottle or even a few.

Here are our top five ‘connoisseurs’ recommendations to choose from, gradually moving up the heat scale from ‘beginners mild’ to ‘it’llblow your head off’ (In addition to the heat, the range of flavours, colours and textures are genuinely quite remarkable and varied, just like with wines, so why not try a few and do a tasting):

1. Tapatio Hot Sauce - This year marks the 40th Anniversary of this Mexican inspired sauce that's found on every table top in bars and restaurants across the USA. A robust cayenne pepper sauce with great flavour and a sweet citrusy tang that's good for all round use. A perfect ‘easy on the heat’ sauce for the chilli novice! Hot-Headz heat rating: 3/10. £3.99

2. Brother Bru-Bru's Mild African Pepper Sauce - a mouth watering blend of chilli peppers, garlic and Brother Bru Bru’s rare African spices. Brother Bru Bru is in fact no other than session musician Bruce Langhorne who used to play with Bob Dylan. It's a fact that Dylan wrote Mr.Tambourine Man about Bruce. Yes that's him on the label! Splash it on or in everything! Hot-Headz heat rating: 5/10. £3.99

3. Pyromania! Wanna play with Fire? Made with habanero peppers and chipotle "Chee-Poht-Lay" (smoked jalapeno) peppers for a wonderful rich and smoky hot sauce that's great on everything from egg and vegetables to fish, meat, rice, pasta and tofu. Getting warmer. Hot-Headz heat rating: 7/10. £3.99

4. Hot-Headz own ‘Who Dares Burns! Crushed Naga Hot Sauce’ - Now we're getting serious! A whopping 65% chilli pepper content gives this all natural sauce a killer heat with fresh, fresh flavour! The Naga Bhut Jolokia is the Guinness Book of World Records holder of the Hottest Chilli in the World. We've skilfully blended these deadly hot chilli peppers with select ingredients to make the tastiest Naga sauce on the market. In skiing parlance, this is definitely black run. Hot-Headz heat rating: 9/10.£3.99

5. Mad Dog 357 -Claiming to be the ‘World's Hottest Sauce’ this is about as hot as you can go without being classed as a food additive. This ‘not for the faint of heart’ sauce has a blend of 160,000 scoville super hot cayenne peppers, fiery hot red habanero peppers and finally a whopping 2,000,000 scoville pepper extract. Totally off-piste! A tongue scorching 357,000 Scoville unit sauce. Hot-Headzheat rating: 11/10.£7.49 (Collectors Edition with bullet key chain containing tiny tasting spoon! 600,000 Scoville units - £9.95)

To purchase: Go to www.hot-headz.com to order on-line OR Call: 01453731052. P&P (UK Mainland): £2.00 - £6.75 depending on no of items ordered. Free delivery on orders over £100. Some products in the selection may need to be altered due to availability.