Mark McAuley of north-east hot sauce firm Singularity Sauce Co. was left in stitches yesterday afternoon after Russell Brand commented on his hottest sauce on popular YouTube show Hot Ones.
Featuring in the episode, which aired at 4pm in the UK and has been viewed more than 355,000 times, Mark is delighted to have been included in the popular YouTube series which sees celebrities try 10 different fiery hot sauces.
Hosted by Sean Evans in America, Mark says it was “pure luck” that guest Russell Brand got to try his Reapers and Mangoes sauce out on the show after the original line-up of sauces was held up in customs.
He said: “On Hot Ones there’s an official top 10 sauce line-up. With Russell being based in the UK, the official sauces were held up in customs and didn’t get to him.
“The chap in the UK who runs Heatonist got in touch with Jen Ferguson who owns Hop Burns & Black in London (who stocks my sauces) and she pulled together all of the official ones she had. She had a few gaps that she couldn’t fill so she phoned me up asking what my hottest sauce was and I told her it was Reapers and Mangoes.
“It was just pure luck as she has hundreds and hundreds of hot sauces in her shop and she chose mine to feature. It was really good for that to happen.
“My sauce will be featured for just this one show, but for me, I’m now on their radar as they’ll have seen the brand. Hopefully they see its potential and might use it for a future series.”
Russell’s verdict
And Russell, who has now appeared on the show twice, was as good a sport as last time, getting through all 10 sauces.
Russell said: “Why have they packaged it in such an inoffensive way? The others have Medusas on it and skulls, this looks like it could be the interior of a doll’s house. Or could be a Teletubbies day spa. But you’re ensuring me it is a vindictive condiment (he said to Evan). ”
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Pouring some out, he toasted to Her Majesty the Queen and took a bite.
“It is runnier than its predecessors. To Her Majesty the Queen of England. It is making its way to the nose hole.”
“Teletubbies Day Spa”
Watching the show, Mark revealed he was left “in stiches” at Russell’s verdict and description of the sauce, especially the “Teletubby” reference.
He said: “I thought it was really good. I watch Hot Ones a lot and some of the funniest ones are when people can’t handle the heat.
“Gordon Ramsay was hilarious because he just can’t handle the heat, whereas Russell has clearly got a high tolerance for heat and it just sort of bounces off the side of him. He does like to talk, too.
Did you see us on Hot Ones? Want to know how that happened? Basically it's all @missjenferguson's fault. Mad love to @hopburnsblack for everything. https://t.co/4IKTRiOcnU
— Singularity Sauce Co. (@SingularitySCO) April 9, 2021
“Some of his comments on the look of the sauce had me in stitches. It was fantastic. I’ve been thinking about maybe changing the name of the sauce to Teletubbies Day Spa just because the story of how it came around would be golden in future years.
” I have now actually tracked down the general manager of First We Feast and we were emailing back and forth. I didn’t even think he’d reply to be honest but the reply I got was fantastic.
“Originally I’d said I wanted to get a bottle to Sean Evans and it got a bit bigger than that and before I knew it I was being asked to send some to the guy behind Heatonist in Brooklyn. It is really, really exciting. I’m on their radar now and hopefully my sauce might make it onto the series. ”
Carolina reapers
Featuring Carolina reapers, the hottest chillies in the world, Mark says his Reapers and Mangoes sauce is not for the faint-hearted.
He added: “The last time Russell was on it he was really funny. The volume of Carolina reapers and where I get them from really makes this sauce pop.
“Nowadays, you can get them quite easily from Spain, Holland, Israel, Rwanda and Morocco, places like that. The reapers I have are grown in Devon in the UK by one of the best growers I know of. I don’t think anyone can touch his reapers as they are so good.
“They are by far one of the best and have so much flavour. When I ferment them with mangos, usually when you mix heat with sweetness, the sugar will temper the heat a little, but because the reapers are so vicious and the fermenting process eats some of the sugars, it has a mighty punch.
“If you can stand the heat of it, it is a very flavoursome sauce. It isn’t the hottest chilli in the world for no reason.
“The first time I released it everyone said it was too hot. I toned it down and the minute the new version went out, everyone wanted it back.”
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