Search didn't turn up any discussion on this so here I go!
OED definitions :
Hotchpotch - a mixture of things, espc a stew.
Hodgepodge - a variant but also a "clumsy mixture of ingredients"
Hodge : name for a typical English agricultural laborer, a rustic.
Hotch - jerky up and down, move forard in short leaps. also fidget, swarm.
This seems to me to be a wierd combo of meanings!
Which do you use? Hodgepodge or hotchpotch?
I tend to use hodgepodge for a mess of stuff thrown together, either real things or a lot of emotional things.
However I have a new name for my stew with secret ingredients : Ann's Hotchpotch!