Callaloo Corner, a Winchester-based Caribbean hot sauce and BBQ sauce producer run by Christine Lee Wing, has taken two medals at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition. It is the only UK producer recognised in both the BBQ Chili Sauce and Hot Chili Sauce categories this year: Silver in BBQ Chili Sauce with Spicy Pineapple BBQ Sauce, and Bronze in Hot Chili Sauce with Roasted Tomato Xtra Hot Sauce.
Callaloo Corner's range is crafted in Hampshire in small batches, built on Scotch bonnet peppers and fresh herbs and spices, with Trinidad Scorpion and Bird's Eye chillies brought in on the hottest end of the line. The flavour profile draws on the food Christine grew up with in Trinidad: tamarind chutney served with doubles, roasted tomato choka breakfasts with sada roti, the sweet-tangy-spicy register of Trinidadian BBQ restaurants. The two EHSA podiums sit on opposite ends of the range, one a BBQ glaze, the other a tomato-based hot sauce.
Spicy Pineapple BBQ Sauce (silver, BBQ Chili Sauce): Scotch bonnet base with pineapple running through a Trinidadian BBQ profile. Inspired by the sweet, tangy and spicy flavours of the Trinidadian BBQ restaurants of Christine's childhood.
Roasted Tomato Xtra Hot Sauce (bronze, Hot Chili Sauce): roasted tomatoes and Scotch bonnet, with Trinidad Scorpion and Bird's Eye chillies pushing the heat to Xtra Hot. Built around the roasted tomato choka breakfasts with sada roti that Christine grew up with in Trinidad.
"We're incredibly proud to see Callaloo Corner recognised at the European Hot Sauce Awards alongside producers from across Europe. We've built our sauces around authentic Trinidadian flavour, family memories and the food I grew up eating, so taking a Silver and a Bronze from a blind European judging panel means a great deal to us." – Christine Lee Wing, Callaloo Corner
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. BBQ Chili Sauce asks for balance between heat and the savoury-sweet glaze profile; Hot Chili Sauce asks for body and properly built heat. Callaloo Corner landed in both, the only UK producer to do so this year.
"Christine has built her sauces around Trinidadian food memories, and the panel rewarded both ends of the range. We are watching what comes out of Winchester next." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Spicy Pineapple BBQ Sauce and Roasted Tomato Xtra Hot Sauce are available through Callaloo Corner at callaloocorner.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=callaloo-corner.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JCL6VzH34-QKESjR5ehUS8Bc9TZXOmJP?usp=drive_link
ABOUT CALLALOO CORNER Callaloo Corner is an independent Hampshire sauce brand run by Christine Lee Wing, producing Trinidadian-inspired hot sauces and BBQ sauces in Winchester. The range is crafted in small batches from fresh ingredients, with Scotch bonnet peppers, Trinidad Scorpion, Bird's Eye chillies, herbs and spices, and flavour profiles drawn from Trinidadian home cooking and BBQ traditions. The full range, including Spicy Pineapple BBQ Sauce and Roasted Tomato Xtra Hot Sauce, is available at callaloocorner.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
— End –
Press contact
Contact the Council