Heatseekers: Seven of the best Irish-made hot sauces according to a chilli obsessive

We are a nation obsessed with hot sauce, and Irish makers are responding in kind. These are our favourite spicy condiments jostling for position in the kitchen right now

Spice up your life with the best hot sauces out now. 

It used to be said that Irish people had a mild palate, shunning heat in favour of bland food. That was then. These days, our appetite for chillies in all their guises has resulted in a tsunami of flavourful condiments flooding our shelves.

Discerning diners that we are, we Irish favour one type of hot sauce over many: the gateway ‘swicy’ sauce. Coined by the New York Times, a swicy sauce is a sweet one, often tomato-based, fermented, with a deep layering of flavours finished with a punch of heat.