We Grow Our OwnThe trials and successes of life on our allotment

You may remember that recently I was lucky enough to win the competition run by Wahaca, the Mexican restaurant chain opened by Thomasina Miers, to be their ‘Chilli Guru!’

I’ve just had a very tiring, but such a fabulous weekend.

On Saturday I went to the West Dean Chilli Fiesta with Chris Jagger (@VolcanoChilli) and his wife Rosie.

As you know, I like my chillies. This year I’ve decided not only to grow twice the amount of varieties this year (19), but also to come over all Heston and experiment with different ways of growing them.

This week, since my greenhouse was becoming increasingly overcrowded, I decided to treat myself to a polytunnel, so that I would have more room to grow what I wanted.

I had a fantastic start to my weekend when I received an email from those lovely people at Wahaca to say that I had won their competition to be their resident ‘Chilli Guru!’

I’m looking forward to showing how anyone can grow chillies, no matter whether you have a sunny windowsill, or a garden the size of a small county. I’ll also be showing how versatile chillies can be, and how each variety of chilli is different in terms of flavour and heat, and can be added to all different types of food, even chocolate!

Watch this space for further details …