It’s a special moment when a customer says something is the best thing they’ve ever tasted. That’s exactly what happened when Mr Vikki’s debuted its latest award-winning creation
Champion producers
Mr Vikki’s Black Lime Chutney was born out of the post-Christmas lull that hits the food trade every year. In Penrith, Cumbria, this cold time of year is when things hot up for Mr Vikki’s, producer of chilli sauce, chutney and pickle, as its new product development gets into gear. “Because it’s a quiet time, we take the opportunity to work on new products. Last year we focused on a citrus theme,” says Adam Marks, the chef and self-confessed chilli head who started Mr Vikki’s in 2005.
FIRST TIME LUCKY
From the beginning, an Indian-style lime pickle has featured in the producer’s line-up, but Adam had always wanted to create a sweet version. Last year, he did just that, steeping chopped limes in a marinade of tamarind, muscovado sugar, dates and garlic for two weeks until the mixture took on a sweet, sticky taste and dark colour. “It was my first crack of the whip and I hit the sweet spot first time,” says Adam. “It’s quite a complex taste: sweet and sour with a bit of chilli.”
Initially, Adam admits he wasn’t overly confident about what he’d created because it hadn’t gone through the many rounds of testing that are usually the rite of passage for any new product. “I only tried it once, then produced 500 jars,” he says. For that reason, the chutney never really got out to markets around the country – it was just quietly added to the producer’s online shop. But when a customer said it was the best thing he’d ever tasted, Adam realised he was on to something special and entered the chutney into the Great Taste Awards.
THE SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS
The Great Ta
