have been using Encona sauces for the last three or four years. I first spotted them in Morrison's on promotion and was so impressed that I have continued to buy them. My all time favourite is the Thai Sweet Chilli sauce. I do have a sweet tooth and like all sorts of sauces and pickles and no meal seems complete to me without something on the side if you know what I mean!.


My Encona bottle is tall and thin and rectangular with a dark blue screw on top . The label is a little different from the above photo as it shows a beautiful Thai dancer in front of a lake with a temple in the background. "Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce " appears on white on a rather lurid background of a pink notice board hanging from a palm tree. Beneath this also swinging in the oriental breeze is a sign showing the chilli strength. This is conveyed by dividing a chilli up into three parts . My chilli is medium strength so the bottom two parts of the chilli are filled in in red. So that there is no confusion it also states "Med" . The quantity is also shown, 220ml.


On the reverse we are told that it is made from a classic Thai recipe and contains chilli, garlic and lime juice and that it is recommended for use as a dipping sauce , great for with spring rolls or prawn crackers, or , as I do just as a table sauce. You can also add it to your stir fry dishes or make dressing and dips with it. Delicious!

Unscrew the top and you are greeted with a sweet, spicy smell, neither too strong or too sweet just right. The sauce itself is a clear, dark orange colour and you can see the chillies dispersed throughout the sauce. It is quit a gloopy thickness so be careful pouring it out , you might get too much.


How do I use it?


I use it almost exclusively as a table sauce. This is because I have a condition known as fructose mal absorption which means that my tum can not process fruit and veg that have a a high fructose level. I have always tried to eat healthily and for years ate lots of fruit and veg and suffered from bad tummy pains and sprints to the loo! I had many tests and was not allergic to gluten, lactose or nuts. Then I had a fructose test and found that my healthy food was the culprit. And, what is top of the high fructose list, tomatoes, followed by onions!

So out went the tomato sauce and puree, followed by the cans of baked beans and anything else containing tomatoes. I definitely sulked as I love tomato sauce but I have found a tasty replacement in this lovely sweet and spicy sauce. Thank you Encona! If there are any disadvantages it is that the hot chilli sauce bottle is very, very, similar and I sometimes pour the wrong one onto my plate, I know should have gone to spec savers.


I bought my last bottle in Morrison's for about 1.66pounds It has a long shelf date, mine is best before August 2013, although it does not say so I keep mine in the fridge after opening.


Do give it a try if you like a sweet spicy sauce. 5 stars from me and my happy tum!


Thanks for reading, this review may also be posted on Ciao under splishsplash