Wet Willy's Ferments

Wet Willy's Ferments Raw fermented hot sauce and spice-driven seasonings. Made in Sheffield.

Today I got to bottling some finely aged unpasteurised sauces and, oh jeez, the smells!In the first slide you can see ho...
16/01/2026

Today I got to bottling some finely aged unpasteurised sauces and, oh jeez, the smells!

In the first slide you can see how aging live-ferment hot sauce for 12-48 months changes the appearance of the condiment (see slide 2 for comparison).

What you can't see, however, is how the flavour has developed over time.

The 12 month has very much a more refined flavour profile to its younger counterpart, veering from the fresher fruitier end towards stone fruits and raisins.

The 24-48 month age is where things get really interesting, as aromas reminiscent of port and sherry emerge. The heat rounds a little but only to make room for an even richer bounty of flavour.

Both the 48 month and 12 month will be available online early February but the 48 especially will be in very limited stock!

Wet Willy's resident fire-bringers are at long last back in stock!Plenty more will be joining the roster on the Hash Hou...
06/08/2025

Wet Willy's resident fire-bringers are at long last back in stock!

Plenty more will be joining the roster on the Hash House online store in due time so keep your eyes out for the newcomers 😎

Link in bio for hot saucey goodness!

Coming back to the hot sauce game with the classics 😎Available for home delivery from online store as of next Monday ev...
09/07/2025

Coming back to the hot sauce game with the classics 😎

Available for home delivery from online store as of next Monday evening!

Currently available in-store at .sheffield and

New sauce labels, who dis 💁🏻‍♂️
17/06/2025

New sauce labels, who dis 💁🏻‍♂️

I fermented a load of apples from my dad's garden six months ago.Probably about time I decided what to do with them... ...
31/05/2025

I fermented a load of apples from my dad's garden six months ago.

Probably about time I decided what to do with them...

Slowly getting in the swing of regular hot sauce prep ahead of the summer and it reminded me of a few tips and tricks I'...
12/05/2025

Slowly getting in the swing of regular hot sauce prep ahead of the summer and it reminded me of a few tips and tricks I've learnt along the way making fermented condiments.

So, today I'm gonna mention a bit about contamination mitigation.

Kinda boring but incredibly necessary when taking food through processes of 'controlled rot'!

In slide 2, 3 and 4 you can see the final prep stage of putting chilli mash on to ferment.

We start on slide 2 with the chilli and salt mixture blended to consistency and with the sides wiped of any remaining debris.

On slide 3 you can see what is essentially a cartouche, a 'false lid'. Instead of using a cartouche made of greaseproof paper, as is used when slow cooking to reduce escaped steam, we're gonna use a J-cloth cut in a similar way to provide an airtight seal on our mash. It is incredibly important at this stage to ensure the cartouche is fully soaked in the liquid from the mash and is tucked in all around the edge.

The final step, in slide 4, is as simple as the rest but equally as integral. Here you can see a thin layer of salt laid to act as the final barrier of protection against potential airborne contaminants. So as not to take the salt level too high, I use half of my ferment salt in the mash and the other half on top of the ferment. So for example, if you're doing a 3% salt ferment, you want to weigh two 1.5% pots. One for in the mash and one for on top. As the ferment sits, the majority of the salt on the top will slowly go through a process of osmosis into the mash anyway, after creating a defensive barrier with the J-cloth.

Slide 5 is just to show how this can be done with smaller ferments and isn't limited to 20kg batches.

Lil mockup of my most audacious design brief for this brand (so far anyway!).Thanks to for the character design and fo...
07/05/2025

Lil mockup of my most audacious design brief for this brand (so far anyway!).

Thanks to for the character design and for the mockups and label designs!

Do you think this successfully communicates the intended use of this seasoning?

Some bizniz in the works.🎨
02/04/2025

Some bizniz in the works.

🎨

Picked a hefty bounty of apples from the tree in my dad's garden the other day.Not sure what their exact destiny is just...
22/10/2024

Picked a hefty bounty of apples from the tree in my dad's garden the other day.

Not sure what their exact destiny is just yet but I haven't made brown sauce in half an age so at least that and some BBQ sauce. Might make some cider vinegar too: there's plenty more to pick whilst still leaving some for nesting woodlice. I've done you all the favour of not sharing that photo too but if you would like to see it, I will oblige.

Back at the fermentation station at long last.Ten points for the song reference.
16/09/2024

Back at the fermentation station at long last.

Ten points for the song reference.

Starting off my return to the bottling station with this banger for It's almost as though fate intended for this one to...
01/02/2024

Starting off my return to the bottling station with this banger for

It's almost as though fate intended for this one to come together. Just over two years ago I put a few long ferments on and a few short fermented peppersauces on to age. I had no idea what their destiny was but one of those ferments and one of those aged sauces screamed out to me when I was given the brief from the lads. Only a week prior to being asked about this custom sauce was the exact two year mark for two of the chilli components of this sauce. Impeccable timing 👌🏻

• Pickled scotch bonnet
• Aged yellow habañero peppersauce
• Long-ferment orange cayenne
• Fermented persimmon
• Mango jam
• Pickled charred onion

Absolute knee-slapper.

Address

144 Neepsend Lane
Sheffield
S38AU

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wet Willy's Ferments posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category