Hot sauce – it can be truly divisive. I happen to fall on the side of ‘love’, which is why I was very excited to find out that Rubies in the Rubble has launched a new trio of hot sauces. Introducing Hot Honey Sauce, Habanero Hot Sauce and Jalapeno Hot Sauce.
Rubies in the Rubble’s mission is to bring some good to the world of food and ultimately end unnecessary food waste in a system that is woefully out of balance (Rubies in the Rubble say 1/3 of all food is wasted and food waste accounts for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions).
Founded in 2012 by Jenny Costa, who grew up in Scotland learning to be resourceful and creative with food, Rubies in the Rubble was born from a passion for sustainable consumption and reducing food waste. The idea came about after Jenny visited New Covent Garden Market and noticed the huge quantities of perfectly edible fruit and vegetables from all over the world that were being thrown away. The company finds flavour in flaws, abundance in waste and beauty where it shouldn’t be. As they say, there are many rubies to be found in the rubble.
Fast forward to now, and the company has a range which includes three-star Great Taste award-winning Ketchup, vegan Mayos, an American-style Mustard, and of course the trio of new hot sauces.
I am a big fan of all three of these sauces, I’ll be honest from the off, and I think anyone who likes hot sauces would be too.
The Jalapeno and the Habanero sauces remind me of the ones you often get from Caribbean countries (and I realise I’m being a bit generic here) that have a wonderful fruitiness but still pack a punch. Especially the Habanero, which is not for the faint-hearted.
The Habanero and Jalapeno hot sauces both blend saved pears, carrots and, of course, fermented peppers. The Habanero is definitely the hotter of the two – four out of five vs three out of five ‘chilli fires’ on the label. Both deliver plenty of flavour alongside that fruity heat, with a slight vinegary back note. Delicious.
I put the Habanero sauce onto everything I felt needed an injection of flavour and spice, from topping prawn bao to drizzling it over cauliflower macaroni cheese. It certainly gave me both of those things.
The Jalapeno sauce – which is still fiery but just a touch less than the Habanero option – was applied liberally over everything from a falafel wrap to salmon pasta, and even adding some spice to a sandwich, to name a few things. It was a great addition to many dishes.
Everyone seems to experience heat differently. While one thing might be perfect for me and another too hot, the experience might be entirely different for someone else. Chilli oil, for instance, I eat by the bucketload, while wasabi always seems to go straight to my nose and it makes me sneeze. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely doesn’t stop me eating it though…
The Rubies in the Rubble Hot Honey, which again has a three out of five-hotness rating, combines 100% pure honey with the bold heat of fermented pepper. This still gives the eater a pleasant, warm sensation but balanced by a lovely sweetness. For me, it didn’t seem as hot as the Jalapeno sauce, despite having the same rating.
While people may think the ‘honey’ side of Hot Honey means it will only be good for sweeter dishes, it worked perfectly on sushi, as a stir fry sauce and drizzled over puffed tofu and even added some pep to a Margherita pizza. I have also just seen a recipe for a Hot Honey Cocktail which I will definitely be giving a go.
I would personally say that if you’re trying to introduce someone to spice or encourage them to start adding a little heat to their meals, this probably isn’t the place to start. But if you’re already a fan of chilli and love trying new flavours, this trio is well worth a try.
Since 2012, Rubies in the Rubble has saved 10.7 million fruit and veg from going to waste – that’s the equivalent of 1.3m kgs – and avoided 1 million kgs of CO2 emissions.
The three new Rubies in the Rubble hot sauces, Hot Honey Sauce (RRP £4.20 per 250ml bottle), Habanero Hot Sauce and Jalapeno Hot Sauce (both RRP £3.00 per 250ml bottle) are available from Ocado now. And trust us, a ‘little’ goes a long way…!