Customer Feedback

Customer Satisfaction? - Don't take my word for it.......

 The following are extracts from numerous letters and emails which pour in on a regular basis.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of my customers have quite a risqué sense of humour and are quite "colourful" and perhaps a little "enthusiastic" in praising my products. No offence is intended and I hope I don't cause any by publishing the emails in full. If you are not easily offended, please read on.

Dear Mr. Smith, I just wanted to write a few words to you and express my joy over your Hot Chilli Pickle that I purchased on Broadway Market a few weeks ago. Being somewhat of a connoisseur of Indian pickle I am staggered by the flavours, it really is outstanding, and very hot! - just how I like it. We had it with black pepper poppadoms - perfect! The next day however I felt like I had been bum-raped and set on fire, but it was well worth it. Keep up the good work! You twisted maniac! Next we will try the Scotch Bonnet which I am hoping will replicate the feeling of being trapped inside a burning car! Life doesn't get any better than that! Best, Shaun (ShiveringGoat) - Email

Hi Chris, really enjoying the Scotch Bonnet, I actually think the other one is hotter! - but both great tasting! - just superb! Thanks to your Scotch Bonnet I did 40 metres in under 3 seconds from the garden to the kazi up 3 flights! - the effects are better than LSD! Will you be in full battledress next week? :) See you down the market! Keep it twisted! Shaun (ShiveringGoat) - Email

I just wanted to say that the scotch bonnet pickle is now a mess table staple at my fire station. It's now a standard practice when anyone brings in any other chilli sauce for someone to go "What's this s**t? Pass the Dolly Smith's!" Put that on yer testimonials! Regards, Richard M. Shoreditch Red Watch.

Hi Chris, Hope you're well, happy and thriving! I was just moved to send you a testimonial. Your Hot Tomato sauce is quite wonderful and your Scotch Bonnet sauce is unquestionably the best I've ever tasted. Thanks, look forward to seeing you soon. Jessica (the dreadlocked harp player from Broadway Market) Xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

These products really are on another level – I feel happy just thinking about having them at home to eat at every possible opportunity. Complex, emotional, hot! Wendy

Hey Chris, Delightful to see you and hang out today, and thanks for the gorgeous chilli pickle, a fair amount of which is currently accompanying some cheddar and rye bread in my belly... Cool. See you soon I hope, always a pleasure. J  xxx

Hi, Can you let me know if I can buy your products any where near me? If not can I buy direct from you? I bought a jar of your Brinjal pickle which is by far the best pickle I’ve ever had, from a shop in Yarmouth on The Isle of Wight. Regards, Mike O. PS. I run a garage with a small shop. What is the minimum `bulk quantity` you would supply?

Thank you, Chris, for posting the emergency batch of Scotch Bonnet “Old Nick.”  We've seriously been lost without your sauce, we put it on/in everything, roast salmon, soups, chicken..  Thank you and don’t you ever go away again on holiday and leave your stand at Broadway - ever! :) Of course!  By all means stick my comments on your website!  I see you have quite a following. Promise to introduce myself next time I'm down the market although I won't be this weekend as I'm visiting my Mum. See you soon, Sarah x

I tried the Old Nick's scotch bonnet sauce about a year ago from The Grocery on Kingsland Road.  After I ran out of the first bottle I bought a few more and some for my mates.  They all loved it and they bought a few bottles for themselves and their friends! But after a while they ran out and the store manager at The Grocery said they didn’t have anymore on re-order and since then we've been looking for it everywhere. I tried somewhere on SE1 a few weeks ago but It think the shop is closed. I look in every organic store I shop at but nobody seems to have it.  So I decided to come to the source! I don’t know why this isn't in every store in the UK. It is leagues ahead of any other sauce of its kind.  So I've ordered about 6 bottles and a few of your other sources and chutneys. I hope the article goes well, everybody should know about this stuff! Thanks, Pete

 Dear Pickleman, The scotch bonnet pickle is amazing, I bought it in a market in Bedford.  In fact the pickle has caused a minor sensation amongst those who have tried it. However I have tried both the Spice Shop and Partridges and neither seem to stock it.   I think your stockist’s page must be a bit out of date?  Can you give me the name of a shop in West London that will definitely stock? Thanks very much, Lucy Q

Hi, I bought a jar of your Hot Chilli Pickle from your stand in the market in Hackney a few months ago. Fantastic stuff and I'd like some more. Where can I get some? Thanks.  Bruce M. - Email

Hello, Having bought and enjoyed "Old Nick", could you send me details for my local stockists (I live in Ipswich) and mail order. Thank you. Richard - Email

Hi Chris, Just to let you know, I bought some "Old Nick" from a market stall in Bedford, very nice chap offering samples of the wares. The good/bad news is that he slightly undercuts you at £4.95 per bottle, I bought at the end of the day and probably could have talkied the price slightly lower, but I liked it enough just to pay. Best regards, Richard - Email

Dear Chris, I hear you're a man who knows a man who knows how to get some good stuff? Enlighten me please. Signing out, Oliver P. - Email

Great. Thanks Chris. I'm going to head down to A. Gold today and pick some up. I picked up a jar at Broadway market during the summer and have been there a few times in the last few weeks disappointed not to have seen your stand. Cheers and keep makin' the goodness. Oliver P. - Email

Hi Chris, A friend of mine gave me a bottle of your very fine scotch bonnet sauce. It lasted almost two weeks, meaning I desperately require more! Could you let me know about prices & everything I need to know? Cheers, Mark - Email

Great to hear you're getting a website, welcome to the digital age :) What's the address of the website? Else, what do I need to do to order 3 more bottles?Cheers, Mark - Email

Just had your excellent Brinjal pickle. Could you send me details of products, prices and outlets. Thanks, Andrew W. - Email 

Thanks Chris, Will post you an order. Thanks, Andrew W. - Email

Hello Dear people, I had the pleasure of trying your Extremely Hot Scotch Bonnet Pickle at the recent Chilli Fest held near Chichester with a wacking hangover. I purchased just one jar after a successful taste test on some type of bread stick mm yummy. Now it's all gone and my friends want / need more!! Could you give me a price for whatever the trade quantities come in, I'd like to buy a case of the stuff please. Many thanks. Adrian L. - Email

 

........Were you to make them into a curry, the perfect accompaniment would be some of St. John & Dolly Smith's Pickles, made by Chris Smith in his kitchen. The Scotch Bonnet comes with a heat warning and has just won a Great Taste award. 

From "Little Britain on a plate" by Caroline Boucher Observer Food Monthly, Sept. 2005

Thanks for the Scotch Bonnet pickle......it's my favourite. Sure - it's as hot as hell but it has a lorra lorra flavour too. Wonderful! And it's pretty versatile....you can have it with almost any meal, or put a dollop in whatever you're cooking. Indeed I'm a fan! Captain Sensible

It's all gone! People love the Hot Tomato Sauce. Please find my attached purchase order. Shawn H. Darn Spice Company, Lidlington, Bedfordshire. (Email)

We have been selling the St. John & Dolly Smith's sauces and chutneys for about a month and have had a very good response from our customers. They are coming back for more. They almost sell themselves and are bought by customers of all ages and sometimes by the most unexpected. One customer who tried the Hot Tomato Sauce said she had been trying for ages to find one similar to one she had tried in Canada and this was the nearest to it. Another customer who had tried the chutney came back and bought three. With all the preservatives and chemicals etc. added to food nowadays, many people are looking for more natural products and also ones with a natural flavour. D. Cheal (Butchers) East Preston, West Sussex.

We use "Old Nick" in all sorts of ways. As a chilli addict I use it even with sausages etc. but my wife will add it to shepherds pie! Lots of local friends are converts, which is why I have asked you for a few more bottles. John A. West Chiltington, West Sussex.

My apologies for not sending you a cheque sooner as promised, as I suddenly remembered when opening a jar of Brinjal Pickle that I had not paid for it. My conscience would not permit me to partake of it until it was paid for! So a cheque is enclosed. Adrian D. Erdington, Birmingham.

Through a colleague, my husband bought your "Old Nick" Extremely Hot Scotch Bonnet Sauce and Hot Tomato Sauce. They are fantastic! I have been using them as a marinade and also adding them to stir fry dishes. Please send me details of your other products. I have already started recommending them to my friends. Ros W.(Email)

I bought a jar of your Scotch Bonnet Pickle at the chilli festival in August and am completely addicted! I wonder if you could let me have a catalogue of your other products and could you let me know how I can get hold of some more! Julia B. (Email)

I have pleasure in enclosing a cheque for £7.34 to cover the cost of one of your excellent jars of pickle plus postage to Mr. P. P. in Swansea. Mrs. Rosemarie W. Billingshurst, West Sussex.

We bought some jars of pickle from you at the G. G. Reunion held at the Indian Gymkhana a few weeks ago and found the contents excellent. Please supply 10 more jars of pickle. G. B. Haslemere, Surrey.

As I have almost finished off my stock could you please send me 2x Brinjal Pickle, 2x Hot Chilli and 1x Scotch Bonnet Pickle. I am enclosing a cheque for £30 to cover the cost and postage. As I said on the phone the Hot Chilli is excellent and the best curry type pickle that I have ever tasted. David H. Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

I am enclosing £11.31 for two bottles of your excellent St. John & Dolly Smith's "Hot Tomato Sauce" We bought a bottle at the Chilli Festival in Sussex and we are looking forward to some more! Jasmine D. Brighton.

How are you? well, I hope. Please find enclosed cheque for £67.00. I am eagerly awaiting my delivery of "The Pickle" and my friend is eagerly awaiting her invitation to dinner again, only this time a jar with something in it would be appreciated. (This customer had invited a friend to dinner but finished the pickle before the friend arrived!) Moira. Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. 

Just to wish you a Merry Christmas and let you know 4 jars gone already. I would like to say I gave them all to friends but I would be lying. I am now avoiding mother in case she wants some, as she was quite frugal with hers. This pickle may lead to a family feud!!! Moira. Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.

If you decide to go International with the pickles we would love to order some. The batch you gave me at the barbeque was superb. The chilli pickle has almost gone. We are rationing it out. Bev & Rob. Hawaii.

Many thanks. They arrived just in time for lunch! Malcolm.

Do you know your chilli pickle gets even hotter the longer it is kept? I returned from Scotland with a bottle of chilli pickle as the person I originally gave it to found it too hot! I tasted it before bringing it back and wow! Was it hot, hot, hot? Lovely! Jean M.. Hounslow, Middlesex.

Just a short note to confirm my order for 4 jars of Brinjal Pickle and enclose my cheque for £19.50 including postage. Thanks again and I must say it is the best Brinjal Pickle I have tasted. Pam W. Redditch, Worcs.

I would like to place an order for 4x chilli pickle and 2x hot tomato sauce. I have enclosed a cheque for £26.05 which includes the cost of postage. 

Thank you very much for your help and we look forward to sampling your products, hopefully not off the floor and maybe the jars will stay in tact. This time I will try not to be clumsy. We will be ordering again and hopefully we will get friends and relatives interested in your products too. Mrs. Julie P. Crawley, West Sussex.

Best Brinjal Pickle in the world! Munson's Coffees And Eats. Ealing, W5.

I was given a jar of your Hot Chilli Pickle as a present, which sadly is almost finished. I would be grateful to receive details of your products available by mail order. Paul R. Norwich.

Please find enclosed the payment for 10 bottles of Brinjal Pickle as requested. Thanking you on behalf of my husband. Mrs. M. D.

Customers are walking into the shop and buying three or four bottles of Hot Tomato Sauce and leaving without buying anything else. The Brinjal Pickle was selling, but very slowly. I put some on the counter for customers to taste while waiting to be served and sold four jars in half an hour. I will be placing another order soon. Daniel H. H. G. Walter (Butchers). Barons Court, London.

They arrived yesterday - thanks very much. The hot one nearly took my wife's head off! Stephen L. Email.

Praise unlimited for your Brinjal pickle. I bought a random jar at somewhere or other and eventually got round to eating it. My God! A foodies dream! It made me do something I never do which is to actually read the label, find who made it, get on the internet and buy a lovely gift box of all your products. I just cannot wait for it to arrive. Thanks SO much - it's the best I've ever tasted. Don't ever give up cooking... you're great!

 This is quite spectacular, it has a hefty bite to it but the flavour is exceptional, as one jar empties another is ordered, keep up the good work.

 Absolutely wonderful - I have tried this as I loved the scotch bonnet one so much. Another store cupboard essential in our house - thank you so much!

 We are currently on our 4th jar - this pickle is truly amazing and we can't be without it now. It’s definitely a must for the chilli lovers out there.

 Absolutely fabulous!!!

 Dear All. I highly recommend this company and especially this particular sauce which grows on you and then you find you can't live without it!!! Fresh and natural taste.  Only wish it was available in more outlets......

 Dear Chris, your Brinjal Pickle is superb! The flavours are out of this world. The only problem I have with it is that the entire family love it which means the jar is almost empty! :-(

 My son and daughter in law have been regularly buying "Old Nick" for me as it is unavailable in Bournemouth where I live. It really is the best and now I have found the website I can and will buy my own. I love it! It is always on my table and now always will be! So many chilli sauces have heat (often not enough) and little flavour. Yours, Chris, has an abundance of both. I am an addict! Keep up the good work. Alex Oldham. PS Now I will be ordering online I shall try the other products too. Great!

 This has to be hottest pickle and yet very much flavoursome.

 I love this pickle - the flavours are fantastic. Most of the people I've let taste this have gone away and bought their own jar!

 Quite simply the best sauce I've ever tried. Used (very) sparingly in soups and stews is gives a nice mild undertone of heat but still full of flavour, or if you are brave enough to use lashings of it will knock your socks off!

 I adore this sauce! It's not just about heat - it's fabulously fruity as well. Delicious smeared on a cheese sarnie or for pepping up grilled meat in a pitta or wrap. Yum!

 Wow!!!!! I was given this as a present and it blew me away. Hot, yes, but with a delicious flavour as well. I last used it to add a bit of fire to homemade chilli and it certainly did the biz. I have now ordered the scotch bonnet pickle and sweet lime and hot apple chutneys, in addition to more hot chilli, and really looking forward to trying them. Keep up the good work. 

 This is the most wonderful chilli sauce in existence, and I have tried hundreds. It is a hot one, but full of flavour without any sourness and you can use a little or a lot depending on how 'tolerant' you are. I have it in soup, on bacon sandwiches, as a dip with crisps and use a bottle a month. It must be good for the immune system too because I am hardly ever ill these days (the bugs cannot take the pace!). It is a triumph. (I am now going to try the pickles!).

 I love Fox's Green Chilli Pickle but now having sampled this it's now second best. Pleasant heat with a subtle pungent flavour and yes it really does improve with age! Not that it hangs around for long. Great for curries or with cheese too. Definitely deserves a place on any spicy food lovers pickle list.