The UK hot sauce market has surged to an estimated £200 million, driven by a growing appetite for spicy condiments among British consumers. According to Waitrose, sales of hot sauces have increased by 55% year on year, with sriracha seeing a 22% rise. The Thai chilli sauce has become a social media sensation, with over 550 million views on TikTok under the hashtag #sriracha.
Nando's has overtaken HP Brown Sauce to become the third biggest name in table sauces in the UK. Nando's BBQ sauces sold in supermarkets have grown 9.5% this year, with sales of £22.4 million. Meanwhile, traditional British condiments have declined: brown sauce is down 8.1%, mayonnaise down 2.2%, and ketchup down 4.5%.
The trend is partly fuelled by the popularity of the YouTube chat show Hot Ones, which features celebrities eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. British stars such as Florence Pugh, Lewis Capaldi, Harry Kane, and Idris Elba have appeared on the show, which has garnered 385 million views on TikTok this year. Pugh described one sauce as 'like eating battery acid.'
Small-batch hot sauce producers are thriving in the UK. Bauce Brothers, a subscription hot sauce club founded in 2018, started annual awards for the best sauces in 2021. Co-founder Ben Uraszewski said: 'We started the club to help hot-sauce heads like ourselves find great sauces made in the UK, that put flavour first.' The club draws parallels with the craft beer scene, emphasising natural ingredients and family recipes.
Chilli festivals have become a staple of British summers, with events like the Hot Sauce Society festival in London attracting growing audiences. Event producer Allie Behr noted: 'The hot-sauce community are such lovely people. It’s not hairy blokes like you get with craft beer. It’s very diverse.' UK-based sauce maker Pat Hinds sells a Guyanese pepper sauce inspired by his mother, using the wiri wiri chilli to introduce British palates to Guyanese cuisine.
