A product sold at Keswick market has been crowned “king of the world” at the National Chilli Awards.
Mr Vikki’s King Naga chutney is made using one of the hottest chillies on the planet and it now has a global reputation having scooped the top honour as the highest scoring product at a worldwide competition where the firm was pitched in with entries from America, Australia and Europe.
Since Adam Marks set up the business in 2005, its range of pickles, sauces, jams, mustards and chutneys have picked up over 140 Great Taste Awards and two much sought after Golden Fork accolades – but this latest success is the spiciest to date.
Adam said he was “over the moon” that King Naga had become supreme champion at such a prestigious event.
Formerly a chef at Ullswater’s Leeming House Hotel, Adam started Mr Vikki’s in 2005 and the business has had a stall at Keswick market for the past 17 years.
Of King Naga, the Nation Chilli Awards judges said: “The aroma immediately invites your taste buds and gets you salivating. Wonder, aromatic spices which are brilliantly balanced.
“Superb naga flavour and heat supported by excellent Indian style spices and perfect acidity. The oil helps carry the flavour and make it last. Excellent product.”
Adam said King Naga was his “personal favourite” as well.
“It’s a very fragrant chilli – it has also got that searing heat, but you can put it with mayonnaise and it creates a real depth of flavour,” he said.
Last year, Mr Vikki’s, which is based in Penrith, was named as Keswick market’s “traders of the year”.
Of Keswick market, Adam said: “For us it is the centre of the universe – you get exposure to everyone in the UK and it is really nice talking to customers face to face.
“We have done shows in Brighton and the Highlands of Scotland and people have come up to us and said we saw you at Keswick market.
“Everyone seems to go to Keswick market. We don’t want to give it up,” said Adam, who won two AA Rosettes while head chef at the Leeming House Hotel.
When he turned 40, Adam decided to set up Mr Vikki’s as he wanted to go and do something a bit different.
While he was at Leeming House, Adam said he worked with a lot of Indians who introduced him to the three pillars of health – a triangle formed from the cornerstone ingredients of chilli, ginger and garlic. Having a got taste for spices, his chilli revolution began.
Mr Vikki’s award-winning products can be tasted at its Keswick market stall every week on a Saturday, and the Allerdale Council-run market is now back on a Thursday as well, following a short winter break.
