How Ed Sheeran Got Involved With Biltong… Inspired by SA!

How Ed Sheeran Got Involved With Biltong… Which Was Totally Inspired by South Africa!

Photo Credit: Entertainment Weekly

What happens when a Suffolk farm discovers biltong and Ed Sheeran adds his hot sauce? A global spotlight on South African heritage.

UK (07 September 2025) – I’m currently in the UK, travelling through villages, markets and even the odd celebrity farm shop (yes, I visited Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat and it was a bit surreal being in a place that is on a show). But something has really caught my eye… every now and then, in shops (and even some farm stalls), you can find biltong. Like, South African biltong.

Well, perhaps more specifically, “British” biltong that has been inspired by South Africa.

Some shops stock it like it’s the most normal thing in the world, and others, like Clarkson’s place, have even built an entire brand around it.

My most recent biltong discovery happened this week while I was walking through Sainsbury’s. I spotted a bright orange packet of biltong, which had apparently been “mixed by Ed Sheeran”.

Wait. What? Ed Sheeran? The singer!?! With biltong?!?

I was properly confused.

Obviously, I bought it to try and it was delicious. But curiosity got the better of me… why was a Suffolk-based brand making something that is very much a South African product and how on earth did Ed Sheeran get involved?

What I found is a story that stretches from a farm in the UK, all the way to South African heritage… and I believe it’s a really lekker story (and maybe a good thing).

From Suffolk Farms to South African Flavours

Ember Snacks was born on an English family farm. Jack and Harry Mayhew (brothers) grew up in Suffolk and were tired of sugary, factory-farmed meat snacks. They wanted something better. Something healthier, sustainable and genuinely tasty. So, they set out to reinvent the market.

And they discovered biltong.

As athletes and Ironman competitors, they stumbled upon biltong as the perfect high-protein snack. Air-dried, seasoned beef, a tradition that comes straight out of South Africa, was unlike anything widely available in Britain at the time. Although, since doing a bit of research, you can now find many biltong brands in the UK (and all over the world). Some made by locals and some made by South Africans. But all born from proudly South African roots.

By marinating and curing British and Irish beef for eight days, Ember recreated our authentic flavour. In the process, they brought a proudly South African product into British supermarkets… and people seem to love it.

But how did Ed Sheeran get involved?

Well, Ed Sheeran is also from Suffolk and in 2021, he partnered with Kraft Heinz to develop and launch his own hot sauce brand, Tingly Ted’s. It was apparently inspired by his love for sauces (and his childhood nickname, Teddy). The product took two years of development before hitting shelves.

A musician turned into a hot sauce maker. Talk about pivoting during COVID.

Fast forward to 2025, and Ed was also looking for healthier snacks while focusing on fitness. That’s when he discovered Ember’s biltong. It quickly became his go-to after workouts. One day, he decided to throw in a splash of his own Tingly Ted’s hot sauce, and as he put it, “it just hit different.”

Hot sauce on biltong is not a new phenomenon. In South Africa, chilli (or peri peri) biltong is something that is sold at most biltong shops. And if you’re more of a DIY person, then Tabasco is a tried-and-tested favourite when added to South Africa’s favourite snack. It’s the green one for me. Literally brings biltong to life.

But Ed knew he had stumbled onto something special, so he reached out to the brothers at Ember and pitched the idea of a collaboration.

South African Heritage on the Global Stage

Yes, this story is about a UK business, but at its heart, it’s about South African culture finding its way onto the global stage in the most unexpected way.

For us (South Africans), biltong is more than a snack… it’s part of life. Road trips, rugby games, family gatherings, 3pm afternoon snacks, you’ll find it everywhere. To see it celebrated abroad, not as some novelty but as a respected product, is something truly special.

Discovering the story behind the story made me smile. A traditional South African snack meets a British farm and one of the world’s most famous musicians, and suddenly, biltong is being discovered by people who may never have known it existed.

It’s another South African flag quietly (with lots of spice) waving our very lekker heritage with a different part of the world.