A little heat keeps winter's chill at bay

Anne Prescott tempts Food Show fans with her chilli products. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

It's so hot it's out of this world - a chilli sauce called Rings Around Uranus.

The sauce is so spicy that its maker, Anne Prescott, has to leave the kitchen when she's making it.

"It makes me cough when I'm in the kitchen and I lift up the pot lid to stir it - I just have to leave for a little bit of fresh air," she told the Herald, standing at the stall she is running with partner Kevin Baker at the 10th annual Auckland Food Show during a preview day yesterday.

The sauce is the hottest on display of the sauces, pastes and chillis made by the couple, who own Hawkes Bay company Orcona Chillis 'N Peppers.

Asked about the product's name, Ms Prescott innocently explains, "It's a planet."

The Herald sampled the sauces, ranging as Ms Prescott put it "from mild to wild", beginning with the Sharkbite - a refreshing tangy lemon sauce with mild chilli heat - and progressing to the hottest, a yellow sauce with a disclaimer on the label: "Warning - very, very hot."

The verdict? The warning was warranted. It was hot enough to flush this reporter's face for a few minutes and had a kick to the lips that lingered for longer. But it wasn't so hot that it had no flavour.

The couple grow the chillis and make the sauces themselves and are New Zealand's only producers of sweet-smoked paprika.

They are among about 400 exhibitors at the show, which runs until Sunday. The show features anything food-related, including breads and spreads, dips and chips, wine, cakes, cookware and utensils.

* The Food Show is at Auckland's ASB Showgrounds from 10am to 6pm from today until Sunday.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $15 for under-12s. Entry for children under 5 is free.