A CHILLI sauce maker has been nominated for the prestigious Made in Britain scheme by her local MP.
The project, launched last July by Business Secretary Vince Cable, aims to highlight the best in British manufacturing and industry. MPs have been asked to chose one manufacturer from their constituency to show off to the world during the 2012 Olympic and Diamond Jubilee year.
Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah chose sweet chilli sauce maker Red Rascal to represent her constituency. The company, which was formerly known as Devlish, was started by Louise Bailey.
The sauce is sold across the UK through the Wyevale Garden Centre Group, in delis in the North East and at Fenwick in Newcastle.
Director Ms Bailey said: “Red Rascal combines great ingredients to produce a wonderfully unique product. We have worked tirelessly to put Red Rascal on the local map and consequently are now having some national success. Being nominated for this award will bring an even greater awareness of the Red Rascal brand.
“I started making chilli sauce 10 years ago for the family and wanted to create something that tasted fresh and sumptuous but didn’t have a ‘gloopy’ consistency like all the others.
“We started making the sauce from home, however demand grew quickly and we moved to the commercial kitchens at Westfield Girls School in Gosforth.”
Each of Britain’s 650 MP have been asked to nominate just one product that is either designed or manufactured in their constituency.
Ms Onwurah said: “[Red Rascal is] a useful good quality product, made by local women, showing resource and initiative to create a growing market in competition with mass-produced products from large-scale food manufacturers.”
The chilli sauce now featured on an interactive map on the Associate Parliamentary Manufacturing Group’s (APMG) website and will also appear in exhibitions and photography competitions organised by the group.
APMG co-chair, Chris White MP, said: “Too many people in this country believe that we don’t manufacture anymore. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“The UK is, in fact, the world’s six largest manufacturer. We need a manufacturing renaissance in Britain, and encouraging creativity and productivity in each and every constituency will be critical to making this happen.”
Red Rascal will be holding a Valentine’s cooking and tasting session in the food hall at Fenwick on Saturday.
