Maltese food sits on the Mediterranean's southernmost edge, with a kitchen culture built on island-grown melons, stone fruit from the orchards inland, and sea salt crystallised at the Xwejni saltpans on Gozo's northern coast. Jungle Jams and More, a small-batch kitchen run in Żebbuġ by Luke Maistre, has placed three times at the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 (heatawards.eu), Europe's flagship hot sauce competition, with every jar built on that same Maltese fruit and salt shelf: Gold in Sweet (3rd place) for Melon and Mint Habanero Jam, Silver in Sweet (4th place) for Mango and Peach Habanero Jam, and Bronze in Salt and Condiments (7th place) for chilli salt.
Jungle Jams and More is run by Luke Maistre in Żebbuġ, producing every single jar by hand in many small batches, with the full range built on only natural preservatives. The two medalled jams pull directly from Maltese fruit, Maltese melons and locally grown mint in the Sweet 3rd-place jam, Maltese peaches in the Sweet 4th-place jam. The chilli salt is built off Gozitan salt from the Xwejni saltpans on Gozo's northern coast, paired with chillies Luke grows himself.
Nathan Austin on the chilli salt:
"Xwejni saltpan salt is a specific Gozitan product, hand-harvested from saltpans cut into the limestone coast on the northern edge of Gozo, and it does not turn up in many European hot sauce ranges. Building a chilli salt around it, paired with own-grown chillies, is the kind of regional sourcing move the Salt and Condiments category was built to surface." – Nathan Austin, Tasting Editor, Republic of Heat
Both Sweet placements share the same kitchen and the same habanero-and-Maltese-fruit foundation.
Melon and Mint Habanero Jam (Gold, Sweet, 3rd place): a habanero jam built on Maltese melons and locally grown mint, an uncommon combination Luke flagged as missing from the market when he set the recipe.
Mango and Peach Habanero Jam (Silver, Sweet, 4th place): a habanero jam built on Maltese peaches, in the same kitchen and the same hand-batch method as the gold-place Melon and Mint jam.
chilli salt (Bronze, Salt and Condiments, 7th place): a chilli salt built on Gozitan salt from the Xwejni saltpans, paired with chillies Luke grows himself, with no additives beyond natural preservatives.
"Since we are a small business, this achievement truly means a lot for us. At the end of the day we are going against similar, bigger producers across the continent which isn't an easy task to do. We would like to say a massive thanks to everyone who has been on this journey with us so far." – Luke Maistre, Jungle Jams and More
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 ran over 200 sauces from across the continent through blind tasting this year, scored on five criteria by a deliberately mixed panel of chefs, sommeliers, critics and chilli specialists. Sweet and Salt and Condiments are two different category briefs, one a fruit-led preserve register, the other a kitchen-finishing condiment, and Jungle Jams and More placed across both.
"Gold and Silver in Sweet from the same kitchen, plus a Bronze in Salt and Condiments, from a small-batch Maltese producer building on island fruit and Gozitan saltpan salt. EHSA exists to surface exactly that kind of result, and we're watching closely for what Jungle Jams and More brings next year." – Neil Numb, Founder, European Hot Sauce Awards
Melon and Mint Habanero Jam, Mango and Peach Habanero Jam and the chilli salt are available direct from Jungle Jams and More at junglejamsandmore@gmail.com. Full EHSA 2026 results across all 16 categories: heatawards.eu/results/2026?utm_source=press_release&utm_medium=press&utm_campaign=ehsa2026&utm_content=jungle-jams.
The European Hot Sauce Awards 2026 are announced ahead of the Berlin Chili Fest, 29–31 May 2026. Republic of Heat's EHSA 2026 Top 3 winner box is live at republicofheat.com/de-en/discovery-set/euhsa_top3, with further EHSA selection boxes at republicofheat.com/de-en/hot-sauce-sets.
PRESS RESOURCES Press kit (photos, logos, AI lifestyle composites credited Republic of Heat / European Hot Sauce Awards 2026): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aLpbmePnHJ0uQBuL48fDZ66KTsy-6iFt?usp=drive_link
ABOUT JUNGLE JAMS AND MORE Jungle Jams and More is a small-batch chilli jam and condiment kitchen in Żebbuġ, Malta, run by Luke Maistre. Every jar is made by hand in small batches, with the range built on Maltese fruit, Gozitan saltpan salt from Xwejni, and own-grown chillies, using only natural preservatives. Melon and Mint Habanero Jam, Mango and Peach Habanero Jam and the chilli salt all medalled at EHSA 2026. Contact at junglejamsandmore@gmail.com.
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN HOT SAUCE AWARDS The European Hot Sauce Awards (EHSA) is the professional competition for commercially produced hot sauces in Europe, run annually since 2024 from heatawards.eu. EHSA was born out of the Berlin Chili Festival, which has run since 2019 and returns 29–31 May 2026, and became an independent competition in 2024. Over 200 sauces from producers across the continent were entered in 2026. Entries are judged blind across five criteria: aroma, heat profile, flavour, creativity and finish. The 2026 edition covers 16 categories, with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals awarded across multiple positions in each. Each category also names a Best in Category, the top Gold. EHSA is run independently of any single producer or retailer.
ABOUT REPUBLIC OF HEAT Republic of Heat is a European hot sauce subscription designed to show off the flavours coming out of Europe and help solve the distribution problem independent makers face. Founded June 2025 in Berlin by Nathan "Naga" Austin and Simon "Scoville" Gardner. The Discovery subscription delivers three handpicked craft sauces plus a spicy extra to subscribers across the EU each month. Press partner of the European Hot Sauce Awards 2026. republicofheat.com.
PRESS CONTACT Press: Republic of Heat, on behalf of European Hot Sauce Awards contact@republicofheat.com +49 176 41601284
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