The heat was turned up to maximum and spices were the flavour of the day at Melton’s first ever Chilli Fiesta on Saturday.
Visitors turned up in their hundreds to New Park and enjoyed spicy foods, washed down with a chilli beer. There was also a wide range of chilli-related products on offer, including sauces, jams, chocolates and cheeses - all ranging from mild to extremely hot.
John Young and Ralph Cockburn enjoy their Mexican cocktails EMN-160725-093532001
The festival prides itself on being purely about chilli peppers and features the dauntingly named Vampire, Black Pearl, Apache, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Naga Viper and Guinness World Record holder Carolina Reaper varieties of chilli.
The event was organised by Chilli Fest UK supported by Melton Mowbray Business Improvement District (BID).
Town centre manager, Lisa Brown said: “In total there were 22 stalls selling different products from around the world. We even had chilli pork pies!”
“A trickling stream of people kept arriving throughout the afternoon and the picnic tables never seemed to be empty.
A fiery sample from Mary Ballentyne for Jessica Hawksworth and Richard Mansell EMN-160725-094203001
“Other attractions that people enjoyed included music from Caribbean steel drums and Zumba dancing.
“Next year the event will return after receiving good feedback from all involved. There will be competitions and bigger and better excitement.”
A perfect place for a picnic in the sun EMN-160725-094011001
