Review

Chilliqueen – Extra Hot Chilli Jelly

by Martin 'Scooby' Arnold on December 21, 2011 · 1 comment

in Product Reviews

Wibbly wobbly wibbly wobbly! No not Santas belly, but the jar of extra hot chilli jelly I have here from Chilliqueen may do.

Chilliqueen Extra Hot Chilli Jelly

Chilliqueen Extra Hot Chilli Jelly

This is a new one for me as I have not done a review on a jelly product so this is like Christmas coming early.

Chilliqueen are based in Reading and are well known for there selection of condiments and are proud winners of many Great Taste Awards. And the jar I am tasting today looks to be no exception. Nothing fancy about the jar, just a standard 220g jam jar. But the label gives it a delicate kind of homely feel to it. It’s the kind of label you get on locally produced products at country fairs. Simple design, a chilli which looks flaming hot. LOVE IT! Looking through the jar it looks more like honey at a first glance. Dark orange in colour which is very thick and clings to the side of the jar. It really does give the look of honey, and does not wibble and wobble like I was expecting. Lots of chilli can be found inside this thick syrup like jelly. Finely chopped to the slightly under chopped which I am sure will add to a wonderful texture. When I open the jar I can see the chilli stand out a lot more, red orange and green can be seen in this. It looks amazing and the smell is warming and has an ever so slight acid touch to it. Lets take a look in the cook pot.

Ingredients: Unrefined Sugar, Malt vinegar, Water, Fresh Peppers, Scotch Bonnet Chillies (3.7%), Gelling agent fruit pectin.

Jar kindly provided by www.chilliqueen.co.uk

Nice and short list, just what I like. And only scotch bonnet chillies named. This straight away tells me that these guys are gunning for a specific flavour instead of chucking huge amounts of any type of chilli in just to give it heat. The malt vinegar is what I am getting in the smell, its not unwelcoming, just noticeable there in the background of sweetness. Lets have a taste.

SWEET JESUS!!! Why have I not reviewed a jelly before, INSANE! The sweetness of this is gorgeous and yet the heat is mild. Flavour?????? Comes by the bucket load. I’m getting orange, touch of lemon/lime and a slight aftertaste of apple. This is basically one fruity mutha of a jelly. This is one of those gently warm you up on the inside sauces for the cold winter nights. The texture is perfect in all ways. The jelly itself which has the feel of a jam and appearance of honey, slowly melts on the tongue only to leave some superb chilli and fresh peppers behind. Everything has gone into this, the seeds and all. None of the pieces are uniform size so every mouthful is different on texture while holding onto a glorious fruit basket of flavour.

I can just see this being used on some meat on the bbq just as much as I can on some toast in the morning for the winter months. A very versatile product and one that will be loved by all. You can pick up a jar of this from www.chilliqueen.co.uk for a great price of £3.50. Definitely a jelly fit for a chilliqueen of chilliking.

So until next time chilliheads remember, if it burns going in, it will burn coming out.

Flavour
(8/10)
Heat
(2/10)
Packaging
(8/10)
Value
(6.5/10)
Overall
(8/10)

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Hot Headz – Naga Beef Jerky Review

by Darth Naga on November 16, 2011 · 0 comments

in Product Reviews

Hot-Headz XXX Hot Naga Chilli Beef Jerky

Hot-Headz XXX Hot Naga Chilli Beef Jerky

Okay, let me start off by saying there aren’t many things I flout in life, rules are there for a reason, decisions are made according to moral’s and many other factors..one of these is my personal choice to be Pescetarian..a diet that consists of fish and vegetables, no red or white meat…until this review.

I will explain myself in due course, I will also explain how I dropped my pescetarianism for a few moments as my personal sacrifice to the chilli community as a whole ;)

Let me start by saying that the product I’m reviewing today comes from the company that we in the UK have come to know, love and trust, as the UK’s premier supplier of US hotsauces and products, at very decent prices! I am of course talking about Hot-Headz!

Ingredients: Beef, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Brown Sugar, NAGA JOLOKIA, Naga Pickle, Cayenne Pepper, CELERY, Salt, Water, Spices, Worcestershire Sauce (Malt Vinegar (from BARLEY), Spirit Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Salt, ANCHOVIES (fish), Tamarind Extract, Onion, Garlic, Spices), Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, SOY Bean, WHEAT Flour).

Review packet supplied by www.hot-headz.com

Okay, on first glance at the ingredients for Hot Headz “Naga Beef Jerky” I bet you’re all thinking “Hmmm the ingredients list seems rather long for a bit of dried beef with naga powder on it”..but thats where you’re WRONG!! This is no ordinary bag of jerky, nor is it just simply a bag of dried up beef bits with naga powder..this my friends is possibly the tastiest beef jerky you’ll ever find. Allow me to elaborate…this product right here is the reason for my slight deviation from my Pescetarian path…the ONLY time i have eaten any form of meat in the past 5 years is purely chilli meat related products..other than that i wouldn’t consider it (though i have to admit to missing it every now and then).

So it was with a mix of guilty pleasure and and a slight moral struggle thati agreed to review this product for Hot Headz.

Right moral bollocks out of the way lets discuss the actual product shall we? The packet the jerky comes in is a simple foiled plastic bag, the kind you see at farmers markets and such that contain speciality peanuts and other assorted snacks, the label on the front is a no frills affair, just the hot headz logo, a list of ingredients and the name of the product itself.. this one give you no false pretenses, instead allowing its contents to be the only deciding factor in this taste test!

Upon opening the packet a slight hint of roast beef and a big slap of naga hits me hard, the smell is a little week at first so I take a big sniff…yeah that wasn’t smart, 10 minutes later after I stopped coughing and my nose stopped burning I grabbed a couple of pieces from the bag, popped one into my mouth and then chewed. This isn’t a standard, moist beef jerkey like you’d find in your local shop, this is a high grade properly dried meat, marinated in a delicate mix of spices and flavours, one of which is the Naga and this is the flavour that shines through for me!!

The heat is a strange beast..the first one hits you like a steam train but wears off pretty quickly..the aftertaste then ropes you into having anothe rpiece, then another..all the while the heat is building, the sweat is pouring and the tongue and mouth are on fire but you don’t CARE!! This product is so moreish i literally had to give it away so that I would eat more than a few peieces..damn you Stuart for making such an annoyingly tasty anti-vegetarian (and pescetarian) product, LOL!

You can buy this stuff for a mere £2.99 a bag over at www.hot-headz.com and at that price I would suggest you buy a couple as you will go through your first in one sitting, barely breathing in between each piece, that much I promise you!! You get quite a bit for your money considering this is only a quid dearer than the moist, processed shit you can buy at the supermarket, I would take the HH naga jerky over that ANY day of the week!!
Right, until we meet again my chilli padawanz, may the sauce be with you, always!!

Flavour
(8/10)
Heat
(7/10)
Packaging
(6/10)
Value
(8/10)
Overall
(8/10)

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Marks & Spencer – Harissa Paste

by Hot Juan on November 5, 2011 · 0 comments

in Product Reviews

Marks & Spencer Harissa Paste

Marks & Spencer Harissa Paste

Marks & Spencer have not done very will in our review so far,we have always like the quality of their product, but some how they have missed point and made things so lame that they lack any flavour and warmth.

Well Harissa comes from North Africa/Middle East and there are probably as many family recipes and variation out there that would could just do a blog on Harissa. Having looked at the ingredients list I am pleased to see all the essential ingredients included, maybe not in the order I was expecting, but it is a good start.

This one certainly looks the part with it bright red and yellow label, the the top of the lid is some pictures of chillies and some intelligible writing but on popping open the lid, I can smell Mint, a lot of mint, then Coriander and finally Garlic and Ginger, I have had Harrisa with Mint before, but I don’t remember the smell being that strong.

The initial taste is also instantly of mint, for the English, this is starting to taste like a warm mint sauce, it is not having the effect I was expecting from a Harissa, which is a hot, garlicky, salty condiment that I normally add to couscous as on it own it overpowers in all directions.

Ingredients: Red Pepper, White Wine Vinegar, Sugar, Cumin, Ginger Puree, Extra Virgin Olice Oil, Dried Mint, Water, Garlic Paste, Mint, Coriander, Lemon Juice, Salt, Crushed Chillies, Rose Petals, Lemon Paste, Black Pepper.

I would not like to say this does not taste very nice, I am enjoying spooning it out of the jar, it is just not what I expect of a Harissa, I think M&S could have done a lot better than this, people who by Harissa tend to know what they are buying, and this may well be a bit of a disapointment.

On the other hand this may be of some use at the weekend with my roast lamb!

I think I would have to say, don’t buy this, get a proper version from an local ethnic shop, or order a jar of the excellent ChilliPepperPete’s Harissa Paste that we reviewed a while ago or you could even make your own by following our simple recipe.

Flavour
(5/10)
Heat
(2/10)
Packaging
(8/10)
Value
(3/10)
Overall
(4/10)

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Karimix Thai Shrimp Relish

by Martin 'Scooby' Arnold on October 22, 2011 · 0 comments

in Product Reviews

Karimix Thai Shrimp Relish

Karimix Thai Shrimp Relish

Hi guys Scooby here with another review for you from the guys at Karimix. This time it is Thai shrimp relish. And I must say that the styling of this product is miles better than the previous review I have done on their Jalapeno apple sauce. The sauce was amazing but the packaging left a lot to be desired. This on the other hand is spectacular.

185g jar with a very tidy black and orange label on it. Thai warrior on the front for great impact with a brief description of the relish itself. This looks like a professional sauce that you would find in any high street shop which is great.

The relish itself looks very textured and oily.It has a very golden appearance to it and in places you can just make out a red which I presume is the shrimp blending into the background. There is also evidence of a few sneaky seeds floating about which I always find good in any chilli product.

Ingredients: Vinegar, Onions, Oil, Peanuts, Brown sugar, Tomato puree, Dried shrimp 3%, Salt, Chillies, Paprika, Ginger, Garlic, Shrimp paste 5%, Spices.

Jar kindly provided by www.karimix.com

Upon opening the jar I get a strong savoury smell, mainly peanuts and oil. Not getting anything else off it at all. Lets get the spoon out and give it a try.

Right this is very nutty, and as I thought very oily. The heat is as it states, mild and is perfect for the flavours. Lovely warm spice flavour there and the texture is superb. The more of this I eat the more the texture seduces me with the help of its wonderful nutty flavour. I am not getting much if anything of the shrimp. The onion in this relish is roughly chopped which is perfect as it makes each mouthful different and exciting. The jar suggests different ideas for the purpose of this relish: Dipping, Grilling, Marinating, Stir frying, topping. I would agree with all of these, but especially the dipping. I can imagine munching on a jar of this at Christmas with a packet of crackers so you can get the great flavour of this relish as it really should not be tainted by anything else.

Again with this company I cannot find a price so its best to contact them at www.karimix.com and ask them directly. Lovely and versatile relish.

Until next time guys, ENJOY!

Flavour
(9/10)
Heat
(4/10)
Packaging
(8.5/10)
Value
N/A
Overall
(8/10)

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