The ChileFoundry - The UK's Online Magazine for Chilli Reviews, News and Recipes
What do you give the Chilli Head who has everything for Christmas…
The Chilli Pepper Company - The Wizard
Now this stuff can warm up the whole of Christmas, it may be only 35g, but it is packed with lots of Naga Viper, a little Vinegar, Garlic, Ginger and Sugar.
You can order this winter warmer on www.chileseeds.co.uk for only £3.00
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Being a long time curry fan over the years I’ve become a lover of tamarind, a tart fruit used in Indian cuisine and other equatorial regions such as Latin American & Thailand. So it comes as no surprise then that I was very much looking forward to tasting this chutney from Mr Vikki’s.
Mr Vikki's Tamarind Chipotle
The labelling as with other Mr Vikki’s product is a minimalistic bright yellow label with the company name, product details & a 3 chilli rating. Mr Vikki’s use a heat rating system based on graphics of chillies on the front label to denote the heat level. Their current hottest product has a 8 chilli rating, so I wasn’t expecting this product to be about the heat.
With such a minimalist approach to labelling the contents of the jar can clearly been seen and the chutney has a deep brown treacle coloured interspersed with flecks of mustard seeds. Although not indicated in the labelling this chutney was a “2 star Great Taste Award Winner” back in 2010 so I was anticipating something special when I opened this jar and I wasn’t disappointed. Opening the jar releases a wonderful aroma – the combination of the smokiness of the chipotles with the underlying fruit tones of the tamarind & dates and traces of ginger, is a delight to smell.
Ingredients: Tamarind Pulp (40%), Dates, Sugar, Chipotle 15%, Fresh Ginger, Garlic, Vinegar, Mustard, Celery, Salt and Pepper.
The chutney’s rich brown colour comes from the tamarind pulp, and the natural stickiness of the pulp gives the chutney a thick jam like consistency. Tasting a generous spoonful of the chutney you get hit with the tartness of the tamarind, enhanced with the sweetness of the dates. Mustard seeds within the chutney add to the texture of the tamarind pulp. Underneath this initial hit, the flavour of the chipotles comes through leaving a pleasant lingering aftertaste. For me the heat wasn’t massive and more of a mild warmth but nonetheless it balances well with the other flavours present.
One of the serving suggestions on the jar is to serve it in a bacon sandwich, so I duly obliged and cooked some dry cured bacon, and placed between two slices of bread with a generous covering of the chutney therein. Biting into the sandwich did not disappoint and the taste was bliss! The natural saltiness of the bacon contrasts so well with the sweet/sourness of the chutney.
Although it’s a chutney and so easily works as a sandwich pickle I’d definitely use this to make a marinade or for basting on meats. The natural acidity of the tamarind pulp will help to tenderise any meat marinated in it. Whilst chicken goes good with tamarind, I think stronger flavoured meats such as pork or beef would work really well with this chutney. At only £3 from www.mrvikkis.co.uk I think the chutney is excellent value for money. Given that we’re entering the Christmas period I’d thoroughly recommend getting some of this chutney in time to accompany your Christmas cold meat cuts this year.
| Flavour |   (7/10) |
| Heat | (3/10) |
| Packaging | (5/10) |
| Value | (8/10) |
| Overall | (8/10) |
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Ballymalone Jalapeno Pepper Relish
I picked up a jar of this relish as we left Ireland (Eire) via Cork airport, I was surprised to see in the airport, it the last few trips we have not found any interesting products in our travels.
The Ballymaloe Country Relish business was started by Yasmin Hyde in the 1990, the company now produces a range of product including the one we are reviewing today.
Popping the lid and there is a rich smell of tomatoes, the relish is as you would hope, thick with the flesh of the ingredients.
The initial taste is from the tomatoes, they are sweet and full of flavour, then there is the acidity from the vinegar, and finally just mild warmth from the Jalapenos. Oddly this was not what I was expecting, it is very very tasty very moorish.
The amount of flavour flowing from this is exceptional, I like tomatoes and this gives me lots of fresh tomatoes, I am not sure I could call it “Jalapeno Pepper” Relish, may be Tomato and Jalapeno Relish and then only if they added a few more Jalapenos to the mix.
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Red Peppers, Vinegar, Sugar, Jalapeno Peppers (5%), Garlic, Spices, Salt.
I think this tastes great, but lacks the headline flavour of Jalapenos, they are lost in all that great tasting tomatoes. I cannot give the high scores they deserve for the product, as the poor old Jalapeno has got a bit lost. If I was reviewing a Mildly Spicy Tomato Relish, this would be an easy 9/10 for flavour.
At £2.75 for an excellent tomato relish I would be very happy, put this on some fancy toast and you have got an excellent tapas style dish.
You can find out more about Ballymaloe Country Relish on their web site www.ballymaloecountryrelish.ie
| Flavour | (6/10) |
| Heat | (1/10) |
| Packaging | (6/10) |
| Value | (8/10) |
| Overall | (6/10) |
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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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