What is chilli jam?
Spicy, sweet and perfectly jammy, chilli jam makes any meal delicious.
A great chilli jam has that perfect balance of sweet and heat, and a smooth spread that's not too runny, not too firm. Like any great condiment, you want it to bring its own flavour but not overpower anything else on your plate.
There are lots of different spicy condiments from around the world - "Chilli jam" is kind of a British version of several of them. Jam and marmalade making is a very British pastime so it's no surprise that it became a popular way to add a little heat to any dish!
Looking internationally, we reckon you can think of a chilli jam as a jammier Thai sweet chilli sauce (nam phrik or nam chim kai), a less spiced Indian chilli chutney, or a more complex American/ Caribbean pepper jelly.
When talking about chilli jam in the UK it would be cheeky not to mention Nando's, who we reckon were one of the main companies to popularise chilli jam in the early 2010s. Some big chilli jam brands have popped up over the years - Stokes, Tracklements, Single Variety Co to name just a few - and now there's Easton Chilli!
How do I use chilli jam?
Chilli jam is really versatile - you can use it pretty much anywhere you'd use a tomato ketchup, mango chutney, or a sandwich pickle.
We asked ChatGPT to write a limerick about how you can use chilli jam:
In a sandwich, the jam took its place,
Chilli's fire met bread with sweet grace.
With cheese it would pair,
On pizza, declare,
This limerick has flavors to embrace!
As a dip, it danced with delight,
Appetizers bathed in its spicy might.
On wings, it did marinade,
Grilled meats, a glaze it made,
Chilli jam brought taste buds to new heights!
Stir-fries swirled with the sauce so fine,
Salads dressed in a tangy, hot line.
Toast spread with its flair,
Burgers got a fiery share,
Chilli jam made every meal shine!
With cheese boards, it formed a duet,
As a condiment, sandwiches it met.
On pizza, it topped,
Oh, the flavors it hopped,
This limerick of chilli jam, you won't forget!
We think ChatGPT did pretty well, but if you're a limerick writer and you're worried about AI taking over, get in touch as we'd love a human-made version :)
Why buy Easton Chilli?
So there are many different chilli jams out there - why buy ours?
To start, we think all our chilli jams are delicious. We've won awards for Original Chilli Jam, Black Garlic Chilli Jam, and Blood Orange Chilli Marmalade and customers love our unique flavours like Salted Pineapple Chilli Jam, Wild Garlic Chilli Jam, and Scotchujang Chilli Jam.
We aim to make all of our flavours unique, so you won't often find a similar flavour profile for our products from other producers. Unlike many chilli jams, we don't use tomato, onion, garlic, or ginger as a base - instead we use charred bell peppers, which gives a deep rich sweetness and complexity to our jams while being a great springboard for the hero flavour of each product.
We also try to run the business as sustainably and transparently as possible - that includes things like using only recycled or reused packaging, sourcing products as locally or as fairly as possible, and regularly publishing financial reports. Also, for every jar of jam or bottle of sauce we sell, we donate to charity - having a strong link between business interests and social causes is important to us.
Heard enough?
It's time for you to head to the shop. That's why this page exists - to get you to the shop. Take a look and buy some delicious chilli jam!
Frequently asked
How spicy are your products?
Tolerance to chilli heat is very individual! Easton Chilli products are rated out of 5 on heat, trying to make a scale that works for regular people (i.e. people who don't have hot sauce on everything! :) )
- 0/5 - No heat here. Possibly suitable for your newborn baby.
- 1/5 - Just a hint. If you like your spice, you probably think this is nothing.
- 2/5 - A bit of zing. Everyone should be able to enjoy this level of heat, whether you're a regular folk or a chilli fiend. Most of our products are aimed at this level.
- 3/5 - It's heating up. Probably getting a little spicy for the regular folk now, definitely too spicy for a newborn baby.
- 4/5 - Now we're talking! You might talk your pal into trying this once, but they might need a glass of milk, and they might not speak to you for a while.
- 5/5 - Everything that's way too spicy for a regular person.
Here are some rough equivalences in heat.
- Heinz Tomato Ketchup = Easton Chilli 0/5
- Nando's Medium Peri Peri = Easton Chilli 2/5
- That chilli sauce at your local kebab shop = probably Easton Chilli 3/5
- Chilli Daddy's 4 = Easton Chilli 5/5
How does delivery work?
We offer a selection of delivery services depending on your location and order. Choose from them at the checkout.
- Local delivery (Easton and nearby): FREE
- Royal Mail 2nd Class (UK, NI, GG, JE, IM): £4
- Orders weighing more than 2kg (5+ jars): £7.50
- Orders valued £30 or more: FREE!
All orders should be with you within 3-5 working days from when you order (it might be a little longer than this sometimes, we'll be in touch if so).
Large orders (10+ jars) please get in touch so we can make special arrangements.
International orders are available depending on what the customs regulations are of your country. Please get in touch before you place your order to confirm whether we can ship to your country.
Where are your products made?
I started making everything in my home kitchen in Easton! This was great until Christmas 2023 when everyone wanted a jar of chilli jam, In January 2024 I started renting a professional kitchen over in Brislington to make all the products. At some point I hope to return production to Easton!
My t-shirts are printed by the lovely Live Ink Co, based in Bedminster in Bristol.
Sustainability etc?
Of course. Sustainability is important to Easton Chilli and it's considered in all parts of the business.
Packaging
We try to reuse waste materials in our packaging, so if someone has delivered bubble wrap to us, or we have a perfectly sized Amazon box lying around, we might use them for your order. Better to reuse it than throw it away to landfill!
All new packaging that we source is plastic-free and recyclable, and we prefer to buy cardboard or recycled materials where possible. Sometimes we use corn-starch mailer bags.
Any waste cardboard that we can't use gets shredded and put into our compost heap, along with our waste vegetable scraps from jam cooking. The worms love this arrangement.
Product
We try to source all our ingredients "loose" and prefer local and low-plastic companies.
We use preserving techniques like lacto-fermentation to extend the shelf life of some of our ingredients, for example we can buy in a few kg of bird's eye chillies and keep using them for months under the right conditions.
The old packaging of our jars is designed to be removed - it's just a bit of string and card. The idea is that you're more likely to reuse a jar if you don't have to spend ages washing off the sticker that's on it. Our new packaging is paper based and biodegradable - no plastic.
We currently use plastic tamper seals on our 150ml hot sauce bottles, and plastic lids; we are working towards using a compostable tamper seals but the lids will probably be plastic as long as we use this type of bottle.
Unfortunately due to UK Food Safety regulations, we are not allowed to re-use any glass destined to be a "packaged product" i.e. a jar of jam or a bottle of sauce that is sold to a consumer. We have to use new jars and lids for each product. If this weren't the case we'd love to have a closed-loop return and reuse system in place, and we'd be up for working with other producers to standardise on our packaging to make it more viable.
Delivery
We've partnered with Zedify to deliver some of our packages in Bristol. Their fleet of electric cargo bikes means their deliveries within BS1-16 are low-carbon-emitting.
Delivery to the rest of the UK is done using Royal Mail and other couriers like APC and DPD, many of which are working to reduce their carbon emissions.