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ABOUT
What is this HoT Stuff??
My passion for spicy foods is undoubtedly a result of my upbringing. My mother is Belizean and I spent much of my childhood with my grandparents from her side (a Belizean grandmother and Jamaican grandfather). I was raised on a fusion of foods with English, Mexican and Caribbean influences and chillies and hot sauce were never far away. I used to enjoy helping my grandmother in the garden where all kinds of fruits and vegetables were grown and chillies were a staple in the greenhouse.
As I grew so did my passion/obsession with chillies, and in 2018 when the Johnny HoT Stuff brand was launched I had grown 17 different varieties and 44 plants in my poly-tunnels and greenhouse. Varieties from the mildest, Anaheim at around 1,000 Scoville heat units to the Carolina Reaper, which can reach a crazy 2.4 million SHU!
I decided to launch Johnny HoT Stuff as a result of friends and family constantly telling me that I “really should sell this stuff” when I used to hand out samples of my homemade hot sauces, marinades, powders etc and as somebody who loves to shop local and try artisan products I thought I’d give it a shot.
I launched a couple of hot sauces at the 2019 Eat Food Festival in Henley and the feedback was incredible. I am now looking forward to launching more exciting and interesting chilli based creations in 2020 from my kitchen in Henley-On-Thames.
One product that I have recently launched and I am incredibly proud of is my Fruity Bonnet HoT Sauce. It’s a fairly mild, tangy, fruity sauce that goes great with a typical English breakfast among other things.
The reason that I am proud of this particular launch is to do with more than just the sauce in the bottle. In January 2020 my grandma passed away after suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. Seeing somebody you love so much go through such an ordeal is a heart wrenching experience that I wouldn’t wish upon anybody. Most of us will be affected by dementia in some way, shape or form.
Her image features alongside my late grandfathers on this product label in a partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, that will raise £1 for every bottle sold, and that will go directly to the charity. My hope is to raise at least £2000 for what I see as a very worthy cause and it will serve as a tribute to my wonderful grandma who is and always will be greatly missed.
In September 2020 Johnny HoT Stuff achieved a Great Taste Award from The Guild of Fine Food for HoT Date HoT Sauce, our Chocolate Habanero and Date Sauce. A very proud moment and reward for all of the hard work up to this point.