If you can’t stand the heat… steer clear of my chilli sauce

The late summer weather was perfect for a house-warming barbecue in my new student house. Everyone brought food and drink, and I lit up the grill that sits just outside the kitchen. There were plenty of sausages, home-made kebabs, even steak. Upsettingly, an excess of near-totally-tasteless vegetarian burgers now occupies space in my freezer (more on those some other time.)

The beers were cold, the barbecue was searingly hot, but the hottest thing of all – by general agreement was my chilli sauce. Earlier in the day, I’d finely chopped a red onion, three chillies, and put these in a tub with the zest and juice of two limes, black pepper, and a hefty spoon of horseradish sauce. The mix sat in the fridge for a few hours, and developed a killer kick.

The wimps who couldn’t handle the chilli contented themselves with the mustard, whereas I just washed down the fire with another cool beer.