Master Chef’s Chilli Collection £19.99
All chillies contain capsaicin which gives them their heat. In 1912, Wilbur Scoville, a US pharmacist, developed Scoville Heat Units to measure the scale of hotness. See Scoville rating against each plant.6 Chilli Plants (1 of each variety) – Large, healthy potted plants, well established in 10cm pots. Can be planted straight into their final position.- Decorative, colourful plants- Grow indoors or outside- Porlific crops from all varieties- Easy to grow in pots or beds6 Plants, 6 Cuisines:PADRON – Generally picked all through the summer when immature (around 5cm long and still green) and have little or no heat in them. You’ve probably seen them in Spanish Tapas bars where they are traditionally roasted in olive oil and served hot sprinkled with sea salt. Scoville rating: Next to nothing if picked immature, but between 3,000 and 10,000 if left to mature. 10cm long and light red.TABASCO – Yes, this is the one used to make the famous Tabasco sauce and yet surprisingly, it is far from being the hottest of chillies. It has a dry smoky taste, great for spicing up and adding flavour to food. Its prolific, producing up to 100 chillies per plant and will even crop again the next year if kept in a frost free place. A great chilli for making hot pepper vinegar and you can adjust the heat by picking early (when yellow) for mild or late (when red) for hot. Scoville rating: 30,000 to 50,000.CHIVALRY – Thin skinned, Thai type chilli (7cm long and red when mature) perfect for Thai dishes and stir fries. An easy to grow compact plant that only grows to around 45cm high. The chillies grow upright from the branches and their thin skins make them easier for drying. Scoville rating 90,000 to 100,000.JAMAICAN YELLOW – Sometimes known as Scotch bonnet, this is a fairly hot chilli though not as hot as the red variety that grows in other parts of the Caribbean. It has a fruity, refreshing flavour. Great in salsa or stuffed as a spicy canape. Unusual squat, mushroom shape, 5cm long by 3.5cm wide. Scoville rating: 280,000 to 300,000.HABANERO – Almost certainly the hottest chilli you can find in the High Street! Much used in Mexican food, great in salsa. Add to a bottle of Tequila or use to flavour Chilli Con Carne – with seeds if you’re feeling brave! Scoville rating: 300,000 to 350,000.BHUT JOLOKIA – A variety of the Habanero was thought to be the hottest chilli in the world until the Bhut Jolokia came along! Recognised in 2007 as the hottest chilli in the world (along with the Trinidad Morugi scorpion chilli) this is up to 400 times hotter than Tabasco! Grown in the Indian states of Assam Nagaland and Manipur its deliciously smokey melon flavour can be used to make fiercely hot curries but do use gloves for chopping! Scoville rating: 900,000 to 1,200,000!!!