Beach Hop - Whanga Juice product reviews

I must have an asbestos lined mouth and stomach. I was reading the other reviewers comments about a bit of a chillie kick and I couldn't taste any - that said, my wife and daughter also found it having a little more bite back than they were expecting.

This sauce has a nice rich flavour and is perfect to accompany just about any (and every) meal. Great if you want spicey wedges (without the spice mix) or on a burger (Veggie burger or otherwise) or just about anything you want to add this to.

Now winter is coming (or is here at the time of writing) you may feel the need to add a little spice to your life and add this to whatever you want where you feel the need for spicey warmth.

The bottle itself didn't last long with me - nothing with Chillie in it last long when I am around; but I am sure a more moderate user wanting a lift will get excellent value from a single bottle. Great product and it comes highly recommended.

I was lucky enough to be selected to review Q Garden's Beach Hop - Whanga Juice. I often have mild chilli sauce and my husband is a huge fan of Nandos Extra hot sauce.

We tried this sauce with some KFC chips. It was far too hot for my sauce-loving two year old who usually sucks sauce off her fingers. Even a tiny bit on her chip had her grizzling. My husband and I both commented that is was too strong to be classed as a mild sauce. He felt the effects on his stomach ulcer afterwards.

Having said that we (my husband and I) both loved the taste and the kick it had to it. It had a nice balance of sweet and spicy. It was thicker than some chilli sauces we have had but not too thick to pour out of the bottle.

If any one else is around when we have the sauce we will be warning them about the kick.

I am sure that I will be finishing off the bottle. I may buy some for friends and family that love spicy foods.

If this is what they term "mild" I don't think I want to risk anything "hot". This was plenty of heat for me and I loved it. What made it really appealing for me was that I could use it in combination with other sauces or products to create a range of different side dishes and condiments.

Diluting it with some plain tomato sauce gave me something with a hint of heat that went really well as a dip for mini spring rolls and cocktail weeners at a kids party. Mixing it with sour cream gave a more adult dip that had a lovely colour and texture, thanks to the chilli and tomato seeds, and a really nice creamy spice flavour that was so nice with rice crackers and carrot sticks. Adding this to a beef stirfry gave some wonderful flavours that became sweeter as the sauce caramelised onto the meat and onions.

My only slight problem with this sauce was the thickness. It can be quite hard to get out of the bottle easily, and when it does leave, it comes out in big bursts, making it hard to control portions without using some kind of measuring spoon or cup. Hey, most guys don't follow recipes all that closely, so if you like spicy then a dollop or two extra is a good thing, right?

All in all I thought this was a pretty good sauce actually. The bottle was a good size, it's economical to use since it has plenty of flavour and is easy to tone down by adding to blander mixers. The price is really about the only thing that put me off having it as a regular addition to our sauce shelf.

This stuff is amazing... and for a 'mild' this rates as 'spicy' to the average Kiwi palate.

I tried it with some fish & chips first, to be a little different, and it was wonderful on the fish and sausages, though not so great after the first handful of chips due to the build-up of spice heat. With a bottle of beer or Coca-Cola, you should be fine.

Splashed into even the most mundane fry-cook burger gives it a wonderful, deep flavour and zingy lift, but where this really took off for me was when I used it in a tuna macaroni bake. Parboiled pasta, a good fill of bechamel sauce, some herbs and spices, a hefty gollop of this, a can of well-drained tuna, and topped with grated cheese... in the oven at 180 for about 35-40 minutes... served with a nice side of mixed veges drizzled with some Cannon Hill 'Curry Inflused Oil' mixed with a little melted butter... a feast I tell you, a feast!

This would go down a treat - if the weather would behave itself and give us some decent BBQ weather again - as part of a steak marinade, or even just brushing it on the meat as it sizzles away. Personally though, I would mix it with a bit of pureed kiwifruit (as a tenderising agent), prick the meat repeatedly, throw it all in a plastic bag and run it through the vac-sealer then into the fridge overnight to soak. On the grill the next day - winner!

Overall, an excellent Summer addition, but also a good year-rounder for those who like a bit of 'heat' in their eat. Oh, I almost forgot... a generous dash of this this also went brilliantly with some plain steamed rice, making it a nice zingy afternoon snack that satisfied without filling me up and spoiling dinner!