Amongst all the great brands that we tried at the West Dean Chilli Fiesta last month, the multiple awards winning Chilli Queen is one that really surprised us by its originality and quality.
Starting out with a simple chilli jelly 25 years ago,
Chilli Queen has now developed into a full range of tasty chilli sauces and dips. The brand’s image designed by the famous Scots illustrator Clare Mackie creates is extremely appealing and instantly gives out that quality homemade feel.
Our favourite so far is the Chilli Pepper Brown Sauce with Scotch Bonnets. Chunkier than Mr Vikki’s own version, we haven’t been able to stop having this sauce with pretty much anything that falls into our lap (so to speak!). The unique flavour of the Scotch Bonnets shines through, a welcome change from the usual chilli peppers used in sauces, such as habaneros and nagas. The sweet chilli ketchup is of the same incredible standard, with the fresh tasting flavour of the tomatoes complimented by just a perfect chilli bite.
A chilli jelly that is already proving popular is the Coriander & Shallot one. Winner of a gold award this innovative chilli jelly achieves a perfect balance between the subtle shallots and nutty flavour of the coriander and the kick that slowly creeps in definitely makes it a real winner amongst our customers!
The Sundried Tomato & Balsamic Vinegar Chilli Jelly is one that really intrigued us when we first saw it at the Chilli Fiesta. We were soon amazed by its pungency and incredible flavour. Albeit a tad on the sweet side, a little of this chilli jelly will go a long way and is a great medium-hot condiment to have with cold meats or as a sandwich spread.
Radically different but a much sought after produce of
Chilli Queen is the Ginger & Lime Chilli Jelly. Using the Chilli Queen’s Original Chilli Jelly as a base, the added popular thai flavours of the ginger and lime take this chilli jelly to a whole new level and is already the must have ingredient for our chicken noodles but also works really well as a spread on scones (weird I know but it really works!) and freshly toasted bread!
Another produce that we use as a spread is the Cranberry Chilli Jelly, which, with cold turkey is absolutely fabulous. We have of course tried it with a roast dinner and it was truly out of this world! Here again the heat is medium but that’s what makes it approachable to a large number of people.
The Chilli Queen Mint Chilli Jelly is a real treat. Thankfully none of that in-your-face chemical mint flavour is to be found in this truly amazing chilli jelly, just the natural fragrant mint herb that we love so much with lamb. We keep trying to find new uses for this chilli jelly and look forward to hearing from our customers about their own experiments.
The Extra Hot Chilli Jelly definitely has an added kick compared with the Original
Chilli Jelly that made Chilli Queen popular and won a Great Taste Awards Silver Medal. A twist on a traditional chilli jam, this Extra Hot Chilli Jelly is just awesome with cheese and we keep adding it to roasts and crackers to perk out our day!
Overall, Chilli Queen is a fantastic brand to have for everyday use. The chilli Ketchup and Brown Sauce with Scotch Bonnets are best friends with burgers, sausages and bacon butties while the range of chilli jellies can be added to most recipes in our books and enhance an incredible variety of foods. The jars will also last you a while which makes it great value for money.
