British hot sauce makers tend to work across the cuisines they grew up next to: South Asian spice traditions, Caribbean tamarind builds, and the dried Mexican chili shelves now in every grocer. Big Ginger Sauce Co, an independent hot sauce kitchen run by Peter Bennison in Woking, Surrey, has placed three times at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition: Silver in Extra Hot Chili Sauce with Naga Bomb: Ghost Edition, Bronze in Medium Chili Sauce with Angel, and Bronze in Chili Oil with Obsidian.
Big Ginger Sauce Co is run by Peter Bennison in Woking, with a range that pulls from a different chili reference in each bottle: Naga chilli with whole-spice South Asian base in Naga Bomb, scotch bonnet with tamarind and aromatic spice in Angel, and dried Mexican chillies in oil for Obsidian. The three medal-winning sauces sit across Extra Hot, Medium and Chili Oil, three different categories that ask three different things of the same kitchen.
Nathan Austin on Naga Bomb: Ghost Edition:
"Naga Bomb runs fresh Naga chilli alongside a fermented Ghost chilli in the same bottle, which is a less obvious build than committing to one chili. The fresh Naga delivers the immediate hit, the fermented Ghost gives the slower deeper register behind it. Peter's toasted cheese sandwich pairing is correct." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Naga Bomb: Ghost Edition (Silver, Extra Hot Chili Sauce): slow-cooked onion and garlic with a fragrant base of whole spices and ginger, the heat from fresh Naga chilli and a dash of fermented Ghost chilli for the extra register.
Angel (Bronze, Medium Chili Sauce): Big Ginger's best-seller. Layers of aromatic spice blended with sweet garlic, tamarind and scotch bonnet chillies, designed as a sweet-sour-spice everyday sauce that splashes onto anything.
Obsidian (Bronze, Chili Oil): a Mexican chili blend in oil, with smoky and nutty notes against a sultana-like sweetness. Built for drizzling on pizza, stirring through noodles or rice, brushing onto meat before cooking.
"Super chuffed to receive three awards at the European Hot Sauce Awards this year! We are incredibly proud of our small batch, handmade sauces and receiving recognition at this level is always special! We'll be back for the win next year!" – Peter Bennison, Founder, Big Ginger Sauce Co
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. Three medals across Extra Hot, Medium and Chili Oil from a single producer asks for three different builds, with the panel finding the work credible in each.
"A Silver in Extra Hot, plus Bronzes in Medium and Chili Oil, is the full range from one kitchen. Naga work, scotch bonnet work and Mexican chili work in three different bottles, all scoring. EHSA exists to surface exactly that kind of result." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Naga Bomb: Ghost Edition, Angel and Obsidian are available through Big Ginger Sauce Co at biggingersauce.com. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=big-ginger-sauce-co.
PRESS RESOURCES Reveal videos on YouTube, embeddable: - Extra Hot Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/WXVJ6Qcbjzw - Medium Chili Sauce: https://youtu.be/t6_GvbkBCM8 Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nEhApFKgk_38uvWp7AHOv5Jq7HvHNVu7?usp=drive_link
ABOUT BIG GINGER SAUCE CO Big Ginger Sauce Co is an independent hot sauce kitchen in Woking, Surrey, founded and run by Peter Bennison. The kitchen produces by hand in small batches across a range that includes Extra Hot, Medium and Chili Oil. Naga Bomb: Ghost Edition, Angel and Obsidian all medalled at EHSA 2026. Range and details at biggingersauce.com.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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