Hello. My name is Matt and I am a self-confessed chilli freak & Bristol Grillstock 2015 Chilli Pepper Eating Champion.

The chilli scene in the UK is an exciting and vibrant place – the availability of mega-hot sauces and products has increased considerably over the recent years thanks to online stores like hot-headz.com and physical shops such as Dr. Burnörium’s Hot Sauce Emporium in St Nick’s Market in my native Bristol – I just love their Psycho Juice range!

It’s also thanks to the tireless work of the chilli farmers who grow the fiery fruits – Alex Duck at Upton Cheyney Chilli Farm springs to mind – and the multitude of chilli festivals gracing the summer calendar. No self-respecting chilli or food festival would be complete without a good ol’ Chilli Pepper Eating Competition and it’s the guys from the Clifton Chilli Club who put on the best shows – check out their website, Facebook Page & YouTube Channel. I’ve taken part in several competitions hosted by them but it was winning the 2015 Bristol Grillstock challenge on Sat 11^th July which I’m most chuffed about! 🙂

Check out the video below. Be warned there’s a little bit of icky spew towards the end!

Some people think that eating hot chillies is just for show offs, nutters and those trying to get YouTube views but I don’t consider myself a show off. I eat chillies & chilli products almost every day and have done for as long as I can remember – I love the flavour as well as the burn and the rush. There is nothing more disappointing than being told that something is hot and it turns out to be a damp squib (or squid if you prefer!).

Anywho, I have decided to launch my very own Bristol brew of super-hot “Bang! Bang! Oil” – it’s cold pressed extra virgin rapeseed oil infused with dried Bhut Jolokia Ghost Peppers & pure pepper extract for that extra bit of bang!

A lot of chilli oils spend their life in exotic glass bottles exiled to the corner of the kitchen as nothing more than unwanted ornamental gifts. They gather dust like dead lava lamps longing for an opportunity to be drizzled on a passing pepperoni pizza or to sex up a Caesar Salad. My aim is to place Bang! Bang! Oil kicking & screaming firmly on your dinner table next to the salt, pepper & ketchup to add some fire to your desire!

The inspiration came from a recent visit to Rwanda where I found that a locally made hot chilli oil called “Akabanga” was pretty much everywhere. It is so hot that it comes in small plastic squeezy bottles to aid very careful drippage. As a result I decided Bang! Bang! Oil should also come in squeezy dropper bottles thus allowing you to drip onto your food as little or as much as you like.

You can drip it directly onto your hot dogs, burgers, soups, mash, fries or even your cornflakes if you’re that way inclined. Just whatever you do, make sure you DO NOT drip it into your eyes or any other sensitive parts of your body. It will sting like a mother!

I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think.

Cheers, Matt 🙂