Overview

2019’s Christmas Recap

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So it’s thursday again, everybody and it’s the first thursday of december. Finally time for my yearly, pre-christmas recap. And, unlike with my previous lists, I’m not going to be changing the format up at all.

Ordering by type, so that readers could skim to the section(s) that most suited their gift giving, has proven itself rather more work than ordering by time or heat but, personally, it’s what I’d rather read. It’s a much more useful sorting method.

So, pay attention to the bold headings, stop and read if you see something inspiring, poke the product names to see my full reviews and give the company names a click to go straight to their websites (UK brands only and only if they have one). Plus, don’t forget to check my top product summaries at the end for the very best of the best.

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The Craft Hot Sauce 100

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Happy thursday again, folks. We’re now into the latter half of november and the christmas season is rapidly approaching but it’s not quite time for my yearly recap yet.

Instead, today sees me focus on somebody else’s list: Bauce Brothers’ Craft Hot Sauce Hot 100.

Bauce Brothers

Now, in case you aren’t aware, Bauce Brothers aren’t just anyone and this isn’t just any selection of sauces. The company specialise in hot sauce subscription boxes – Much like the one that Flaming Licks sent me – giving them a far greater awareness of independent and artisan producers than your any normal food news outlet.

This is the first list of its kind where I feel like the makers have truly held the necessary qualifications but, even so, there’s more to most sauce makers than just a single product.

Today, I’d like to take a little time to look at the producers I know who’ve made the list, whether I think that they deserve it or not and what I make of their wider range.

Perhaps it’ll give you some gift ideas.

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My Mood Ring

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Hey folks, today I’d like to talk to you about a recent purchase of mine.

Not another sauce though, or even anything edible. No, today I’d like to talk about my mood ring.

moodring

A silly piece of jewellery which, supposedly at least, measures small fluctuations in the wearers mood and signals it to the world. But that’s not what it really does.

Or why I bought it.

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Alchemist Arisen

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Happy white day, everyone! I wasn’t planning on doing a thursday post this week but then some rather exciting news reached me and I just had to write one.

Today’s post is, as today’s holiday is, a direct follow up to this year’s valentine’s day feature on the Chilli Alchemist. Because, I’m delighted to say, that post no longer properly reflects the situation.

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A Fond Farewell

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Ahoy there, maties! It’s valentine’s day and I’ve got some explaining to do after that piratical greeting but first, if you’ll let me, I’d like to be serious for a moment.

You see, this year, this very day, a company that I love is going out of business. One that’s close to my heart. One that’s been with me since the beginning.

As I mentioned in my introduction to them, the Chilli Alchemist were a real favourite of mine. Folks who made some of the most delicious and delightfully wacky products out there. Who were a big inspiration for me becoming a reviewer. And who were kind enough to help me out with popping candy samples when my own finances were at their lowest.

They were small, yet successful and have had a huge impact on both my cooking and my life as a whole but, at the end of today, they’re going away due to the owners’ declining health.

So I’d like to recommend that you slide on over to the link in my sidebar to check them out and try something from their range. Perhaps their delightful matcha sauce or the Book of Melliculus – A gift set of all four of their amazing popping candy flavours.

And, if you’re getting here after the fourteenth of february 2019, why not check out one of their parting recommendations instead? That’s what I’m going to be doing for the rest of today.

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2018’s Christmas Recap

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Hey folks, it’s christmas shopping season again and, while I’m a little more prepared this year, I’m sure that at least a few of you still need my advice. So, this being the first thursday of december, it’s time for the third of my yearly recaps.

Recaps that, for those of you who’re new to this site, focus heavily on the giftability of the sauces and such that I’ve tried that year.

Last year, I introduced the idea of ordering those products by type, rather than time or heat, and I intend to do the same again today. So, if there’s a certain sort of item that your friends or family will particularly enjoy, feel free to skim ahead until you catch the appropriate topic heading. I’ll put them in bold specially.

But, before we get to what I’d recommend as a gift, let’s kick off this year’s summary with what I wouldn’t.

Oh, and click the sauce and company names for my reviews and their sites (if they’re in the UK), respectively.

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Opal Sunshine

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Today, everybody, we have a new addition to my review lineup. Another company who has sent me free sauces to sample, a mere two weeks after my last Mahi review.

Today, I’ll be introducing you to Opal Sunshine:

Opal

A small business run by one woman and her family through all the usual social media platforms. I am told that Opal has a website on the way but, in the mean time, you can find her and her sauces @sunshineopal on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Murder Me!

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Hey guys, it’s coming to the end of may and my birthday’s just under a month away.

You know what that means. It means extract sauce! Sauce that’ll melt my face off with a single cocktail stick.

There’s only one problem. I haven’t been sent any to review lately.

So, this year, I have to pick my own poison and I just can’t do it. So, to make things both easier and more fun, I’m going to let you guys have a bit of a say.

I’m going to let you pick from three company’s unnaturally hot concoctions – Ones that I’ve been eyeing up throughout the year – and choose the one that kills me. All you have to do is read the rest of this post and vote in the poll at the end.

Assuming, of course, that you’re ok with strong language.

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