Juliette Dalton, who has lived in Peckham for 15 years, launched Peckham Heat this summer, selling Scotch Bonnet Hot Honey, spice rubs, chilli flakes and flavoured salts.
She said she was inspired to start the business after friends repeatedly asked her to bottle the food she served at parties.
READ MORE: ‘I was told I didn’t belong – now I’ve built an award-winning business in Dartford’
Juliette’s brand is called Peckham Heat (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
Juliette told the News Shopper: “I used to host a lot of parties and people would ask what I would put into my chicken.
“They said I had to jar it up, so I wanted to start my own company.”
Honey jar (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
The business has already been picked up by a string of independent south east London food shops and businesses, including William Rose, Proud Sow, The Larder, Olives & More, Smoke Yard, Tom Hixson, Billings, Cheeseman and Khans.
Juliette said she has already received repeat orders from several of the independent stockists and hopes to have 20 by Christmas.
The hot sauce range (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
For her, Peckham Heat is about far more than simply selling sauces and seasonings.
Juliette moved to Camberwell when she was 17 and is now 44, having spent much of her life in the area.
She said: “I used to live right in heart of Peckham for 15 years. I’ve seen it go through all the stages.”
2014 allotment (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
Her cooking has been heavily influenced by Peckham’s diverse food culture, particularly the African and Caribbean communities around Rye Lane.
Juliette added: “I learnt how to cook Jamaican cuisine, and it grew from there.
“I wanted to give something back and celebrate their culture.”
Juliette’s own background is equally diverse, with a French mother, an English father and family connections to Pakistan and Guadeloupe.
An Instagram image of Juliette (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
She says the combination of those influences, alongside the food culture of Rye Lane, has shaped the flavours behind Peckham Heat.
Juliette’s father is a beekeeper, having started keeping bees at school before taking on hives belonging to his uncle.
That eventually grew into more than 40 hives, with the family now working with a wider network of beekeepers across the country.
Chilli flakes (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
She said: “My dad is a beekeeper, so we have lots of hives in Sussex, Essex and Norfolk.
“I tasted about 20 hot honeys on the market and couldn’t believe how awful they were. Most hot honey isn’t honey, it’s sugar syrup.”
“So, I was like I want to produce a hot honey that people can have for their throat they can enjoy the flavour.
Honeycomb (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
“Borage honey was the best for the hot honey as it’s a delicate flavour which doesn’t overpower it.”
Scotch bonnet chilli is at the heart of the range, with Juliette also developing Scotch Bonnet Chilli Flakes and Scotch Bonnet Lime Fleur de Sel Salt.
Now she is preparing to take things up another level with an extra-extra-hot range featuring Carolina Reaper, Dragon’s Breath and Naga hot honey.
“They’re a 10 out of 10 spices, for some it’ll be too much but for some it will be perfect,” she said.
Juliette wants to keep Peckham Heat rooted in the independent businesses that helped inspire it. “I don’t want to go into supermarkets,” she explained.
For her, Peckham Heat is about far more than simply selling sauces and seasonings (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
“I work with Olives and More in Herne hill – it’s a really respected, small businesses. I am doing it all myself – every single element.”
Instead, she is visiting local butchers and food businesses, asking what products are not selling and creating social media content around them.
She is using her background in film and social content to promote the brand, filming products, editing videos and creating recipe cards and reels herself.
Juliette studied painting at Camberwell Art College before managing artists and setting up her own film company, which she ran for around 25 years.
She said changes in the film industry following the rise of AI have led her company to focus more on social content and behind-the-scenes work, while Peckham Heat has increasingly become her focus.
She said: “It is full time currently until a shoot comes in at the moment it’s 90 per cent my full job,” she said.
Chili peppers (Image: Juliette S Dalton)
Much of the production is currently being done from her garden studio, which she has divided to create a small production line.
She is also beginning to attend local markets and plans to test the products in Herne Hill and Crystal Palace, with a potential appearance at Taste of the Caribbean.
Juliette has designed the Peckham Heat labels herself, taking inspiration from an African print sofa.
And she has ambitions to take the products even further, with plans to offer tasters outside independent butchers so customers can try them before buying.
Juliette said: “I am about to do tasters outside butchers so they can taste the product before they buy.”
