Flavour Before Fire

What is at the heart, the absolute centre, the omphalos of a chilli sauce? Should one focus on; Flavour Before Fire? Perchance; Flavour Before Fire? Or a tail-stinging; Flavour Before Fire? Who better to give their take on this question than a chilli grower and condiment producer whose rampant plants have been piquing our interest in recent months and whose name, by sheer coincidence, is Flavour Before Fire? This month we placed our emphasis squarely on an informative and inspirational chat with their grower and saucier-in-chief Marc Elliot.

On the question of emphasis it is pure heat, the ‘fire’, that will always be the keystone of sauce production for Marc. Indeed, without that heat all you have is a sauce, however delicious the sauce may be. Despite the broadening of tastes and the increased range of available flavours, in Marc’s experience demand for prickling spice is a constant. ‘The question “which one is your hottest?” is an immortal one that I’ll hear many, many times over when I am selling at markets and events, so I like to give them what they want!’ 

For this reason Marc mostly grows chillies from the Capsicum Chinense family where, in his opinion ‘you’ll find the hottest and tastiest varieties on Earth. They originate from the Americas, although many of them are modern hybrid creations due to chillies being able to cross pollinate. These work very well in the type of cuisine that I love most, like Indian, Caribbean, Mexican and Cajun.’ This wide spectrum of compatible cuisines reflects the fact that even the hottest chillies offer a super-abundant repository of diverse flavours with which Marc can subtly surprise and delight customers.

Speaking in tongues of flavoursome fire, Marc described some qualities of his core crop. ‘Scotch Bonnets, Habaneros, Trinidad Scorpions, Hurt Berries, Scotch Brains and Burmese Nagas have a lovely fruity flavour. Most other Nagas and Carolina Reapers have a floral flavour. Yellow Moruga have an almost musky but fruity flavour. Elephant Trunks are quite earthy and a little sweet once ripe. The fruitiness of the Scotch Bonnet tends to work best with Caribbean flavours and fruit based sauces. I find the floral taste of a Naga works best with Indian flavours and tomato based sauces.’Dextrously combining and manipulating the characteristics of chillies requires a ready, regular, and kaleidoscopic supply of fruit. Marc has these bases comprehensively covered. 

Flavour Before Fire’s growing operation allows for small-footprint, high-yield artisan chilli cultivation providing the exact flavour profiles required for the sustainable production of highly individual sauces, marinades, preserves, and powders. In a nutshell, Marc is able to create the exact expression of chilli he requires, as-and-when he requires it, without breaking the bank. Efficient sauce production with no compromises on quality or variety allows Marc’s passion project to remain a distinctive yet viable proposition even in financially straightened times. This should be a ray of hope to all those who still aspire to afford and enjoy the fierier things in life. Marc kindly talked us through how all this is achieved with reference to his growing calendar, feed schedule, substrate choices, and cultivation system.

‘Owing to the fact that chillies are non-native to the UK the seeds must be started early, as we don’t have the right climate for them here until late spring. I start mine in January and they’re raised indoors under LED lights until the danger of frosts has passed. This is usually late April.’

During the early stages Marc hand feeds using Old Timer Grow, a good quality organic nitrogen feed from Plant Magic, together with some Canna CalMag. Once the young plants go into the polytunnel he switches to Greenhouse Sensation’s Nutrigrow mineral feed which is nicely balanced, along with a little Calmag. Once the plants are starting to produce fruit, he moves to a more potassium-rich feed. This year he’s looking forward to trying out Shogun nutrients for the fruiting stage after the guys there generously sent him a selection of their products. 

Canna Terra Professional with added perlite serves as ideal, bio-friendly, free-draining-yet-water-retaining substrate. These principles have seen him in good stead since 2017 but its Marc’s choice of cultivation system that has had a decisive effect this season. 

‘Following a recommendation from an experienced chilli grower I know called Dianne from Pasture Fire in Lincolnshire I’ve refitted with AutoPot Auto8s for 2022. I liked the idea of there being just one AQUAvalve to maintain and the 9mm pipework and fittings that means there’s no real chance of blockages throughout the season. In the past I’ve used NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) which requires a hydroponic approach with pH monitoring/adjustment and uses a pump that needs a power supply. The difference with AutoPot is that they don’t require electricity or pH adjustment (if growing using soil) so are a lot less work.’ The Auto8s have also proved devilishly productive.

‘Some of my other chilli plants are being fed by wicks and they’re nowhere near as big as the ones in AutoPots, even though they’re the same age, on the same feed, in the same environment and in even in slightly bigger pots. Chillies are greedy feeders and given the chance they’ll grow very big. Some of mine are over 5ft tall now and it’s only halfway through the season!’ Marc’s top piece of advice when using AutoPot relates to forward planning and readiness for the plans you can expect to see. ‘Make sure you add support for the plants, as they grow very big and will need it when they start growing fruit. With AutoPots, you don’t grow plants – you grow monsters!’

See Marc’s monsters bear fruit @flavourbeforefire, taste the fruit of his monsters (!?) at any number of events attended by Marc or purchase via his online store today! Our hearty congrats to Marc on what is a beautifully scaled, sublimely delicious seed to table operation. Flavour? Before? Fire? He’s got it all!