Why & How...Our story...so far
Why & How: The Oakes Story
I grew up in Poole, on the south coast of England, in a home where the kitchen was the heartbeat of everything.
Mum wasn’t a trained chef. She was something better — a fearless home cook with an eye for flavour and a bookshelf full of 80s icons like Delia Smith, Ken Hom, and a battered Cordon Bleu folder. It was messy, experimental, and completely unapologetic. Long before food was fashionable, Mum made every meal an event.
She didn’t teach me how to cook. She didn’t need to. Her love of food lit the fuse — and I just kept following the fire.
After school, it was “Ready Steady Cook.” Later, The Naked Chef hit the screen and suddenly food looked cool. I didn’t know it then, but those early days were laying down the tracks for everything that came next.
Uni wasn’t for me — I’m a hands-on learner, always have been. So in 2006, I dived straight into professional kitchens. It was brutal, brilliant, and addictive. I fell in love with the chaos, the pressure, the camaraderie. London dreams and Michelin goals followed close behind.
But life had other ideas. I got married, moved to Oxfordshire, and started a family. That shift brought joy — but also pressure. Mental health struggles and money worries crept in. Then in 2015, I got the call: Mum was in hospital. I hesitated. I stayed at work. That delay cost me the chance to say goodbye.
That moment changes you. Grief hit hard, but it also clarified something: I needed to build something meaningful. Something she’d be proud of.
It all started with a terrible bottle of hot sauce.
I remember tasting it, laughing, and thinking, Mum would’ve torn this to shreds. That spark of humour turned into a challenge. What if I could make something better? Something real?
That was the beginning of Oakes Hot Sauce.
We don’t fake it. Not on social. Not in the kitchen. Not on the label.
This brand is built on honesty, hard graft, and bold flavour. We make sauces that actually taste of something — because what’s the point of making food if it doesn’t make you feel something?
Every bottle is packed with purpose. It’s my Mum’s fire, bottled and reimagined. It’s not a sob story — it’s a comeback story. A celebration. A challenge to do better, even when life knocks you sideways.
I haven’t built this alone. My partner — who helped me through the darkest chapter — has been with me every step. Together, raising six brilliant kids, we’ve poured our love and energy into this brand. It’s more than sauce. It’s legacy.
Oakes Hot Sauce is proof that even from the messiest moments, something bold and beautiful can rise.
Would Mum be proud? I think so.
Now the question is — what will you do with it?
Growing up in Poole, on the Southcoast of England, to parents from the midlands, the kitchen was the heart of our home.
Mum was a foodie before it was fashionable, an old-school cook who filled the table with food which evoked that typical 1980s cordon bleu, Delia-esque, Ken Hom-inspired bastardised recipes that epitomised the 80s yuppy era of say whatever-works-advertising & mis-selling.
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She didn’t teach me how to cook, but her passion for flavourful good home-cooked food ignited my own interest in cooking. I remember flopping onto the sofa after school to see “Ready Steady Cook” and then when dinner time rolled around is was Jamie Oliver’s first “Naked Chef” series. I didn't realise it at the time, but those show - and her love of cooking - were quietly shaping the path I'd eventually walk.
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I wasn’t cut out for textbooks and lecture halls, so uni was never on the cards. In 2006, I threw myself into the heat of professional kitchens. I learned quickly that the TV version of hospitality left out a lot of sweat, swearing, and double shifts — but I was hooked. I wanted to be part of it all, dreaming of London kitchens and Michelin stars.
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In my early twenties, life came at full speed — a wedding, a move to Oxfordshire, and kids. Throw in financial pressure and mental health struggles, and things got heavy. Then, in April 2015, I got the call no one wants: Mum was in Poole Hospital. I was told I couldn’t leave work, and I hesitated — just for an hour or so. That hour cost me the chance to say goodbye. She passed away the next day.
That moment broke me. The guilt, the grief — it was overwhelming. But thankfully, a close friend helped me through it. They reminded me there was still so much left to live for. And as the fog slowly lifted, something inside me stirred — a desire to do something meaningful. To honour her. To create something she’d be proud of.
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​It all started with a pretty average bottle of hot sauce. I thought, Mum would've had something to say about this! And that’s when the idea hit: what if I made my own?
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These days, it’s easy to get caught up in the filtered perfection of social media — all shiny highlights, none of the struggle. But at Oakes Hot Sauce, we don’t do fake. We show up as real as it gets — messy, honest, and full of heart. Because what’s the point of hiding when authenticity is what makes it meaningful?
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Every bottle is packed with passion, purpose, and proper flavour. It’s the fire I inherited, bottled up and ready to share. It’s Mum’s legacy — reimagined, re-ignited, and full of life.
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Of course, I haven’t done this alone. None of it would’ve been possible without the incredible woman who helped me climb out of that dark place — now my partner and biggest supporter. Together, with our beautifully blended family of six amazing kids, we keep building something special.
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Oakes Hot Sauce isn’t just a condiment. It’s a story. It’s a celebration. It’s proof that from the toughest moments, something truly great can rise.
I’ll never know for sure what Mum would say about it all. But I think — just maybe — she’d be proud.​
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Oakes Hot Sauce can be a reminder that even in the face of loss, we can find purpose and create something beautiful.
What will you do with it?
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