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Chilli Britain: A Hot & Fruity Adventure
Gideon Burrows thought he liked chilli… until he met this lot.
Determined that his treasured Habanero 7 hot chilli pepper plant would actually fruit this year, and that his home-made chilli sauce wouldn’t turn out all limp and vinegary yet again, he set off in search of expert advice, hoping to enjoy a little heat on the way.
What he discovered was a burgeoning community of British chilli enthusiasts: home growers, commercial farmers, hidden kitchen producers, industrial factories, chilli sellers, sauce makers, festivals, chilli eating competitions and chilli-head extreme tasters for whom the fiery fruits are not just an ingredient. They’re a way of life.
On his journey, Gideon meets some of the chilli scene’s most knowledgeable, obsessed and frequently crazy characters. And he gets his hands spicy as he joins them to plant, harvest, cook, concoct, taste, sell and suffer – all in aid of finding out what makes Chilli Britain tick.
The result is humorous and surprising travel tale, celebrating Britain’s growing craze for all things hot and fruity.
Determined that his treasured Habanero 7 hot chilli pepper plant would actually fruit this year, and that his home-made chilli sauce wouldn’t turn out all limp and vinegary yet again, he set off in search of expert advice, hoping to enjoy a little heat on the way.
What he discovered was a burgeoning community of British chilli enthusiasts: home growers, commercial farmers, hidden kitchen producers, industrial factories, chilli sellers, sauce makers, festivals, chilli eating competitions and chilli-head extreme tasters for whom the fiery fruits are not just an ingredient. They’re a way of life.
On his journey, Gideon meets some of the chilli scene’s most knowledgeable, obsessed and frequently crazy characters. And he gets his hands spicy as he joins them to plant, harvest, cook, concoct, taste, sell and suffer – all in aid of finding out what makes Chilli Britain tick.
The result is humorous and surprising travel tale, celebrating Britain’s growing craze for all things hot and fruity.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2014
1 person is currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Gideon Burrows
33 books24 followersGideon Burrows is an award winning author of novels and non-fiction books that aim to make you uncomfortable, allow you recover, and then make you feel completely refreshed.
Or else guilty. Or exhilarated. Or maybe a combination of these things.
Like taking a cold shower.
His near future novels, including Future Shop and Portico, tackle the challenging world of the near future: how social media, the metaverse, virtual reality, multi-player games and more may be sending us to hell. You'll never let your kids on the internet again.
His contemporary novels, including The Illustrator's Daughter and The Spiral, are about families and individuals in difficult situations: whether facing brake-ups, illness, prejudice, mental health breakdown or domestic violence. Through challenging our fundamental believes and values, he aims to make every reader think about their own comfortable lives.
As G D Burrows, he writes action fiction about ninjas. Awesome ninjas, who wear cool ninja gowns, have high tech ninja weapons, and take on the bad guys with their super martial arts skills and techniques. Think James Bond or Jack Reacher – but in full ninja garb, and based in London's East End. That kind of thing.
Gideon is really interested in the future and new technology, as well as science and rationalism. He's written two non-fiction books on the metaverse, and three books on cancer, including This Book Won't Cure Your Cancer, challenging society's assumptions when it comes to the disease.
He trained as a journalist and spent 10 years writing for major UK newspapers and magazines, and then running a copywriting agency.
Gideon is married, lives in east London with three children, and hundreds of worms. He's a keen cyclist, a qualified cycle mechanic and his home office is Pret a Manger.
He loves travelling on trains, eating Indian and Chinese food, and might actually be a ninja at night.
Like everyone else in the world, he drinks lots of coffee and loves the smell of new, unsullied stationery.
Gideon loves giving stuff away.
You'll always find something free at his website, www.gideon-burrows.com, where you can also join his Reader's Club.
Or else guilty. Or exhilarated. Or maybe a combination of these things.
Like taking a cold shower.
His near future novels, including Future Shop and Portico, tackle the challenging world of the near future: how social media, the metaverse, virtual reality, multi-player games and more may be sending us to hell. You'll never let your kids on the internet again.
His contemporary novels, including The Illustrator's Daughter and The Spiral, are about families and individuals in difficult situations: whether facing brake-ups, illness, prejudice, mental health breakdown or domestic violence. Through challenging our fundamental believes and values, he aims to make every reader think about their own comfortable lives.
As G D Burrows, he writes action fiction about ninjas. Awesome ninjas, who wear cool ninja gowns, have high tech ninja weapons, and take on the bad guys with their super martial arts skills and techniques. Think James Bond or Jack Reacher – but in full ninja garb, and based in London's East End. That kind of thing.
Gideon is really interested in the future and new technology, as well as science and rationalism. He's written two non-fiction books on the metaverse, and three books on cancer, including This Book Won't Cure Your Cancer, challenging society's assumptions when it comes to the disease.
He trained as a journalist and spent 10 years writing for major UK newspapers and magazines, and then running a copywriting agency.
Gideon is married, lives in east London with three children, and hundreds of worms. He's a keen cyclist, a qualified cycle mechanic and his home office is Pret a Manger.
He loves travelling on trains, eating Indian and Chinese food, and might actually be a ninja at night.
Like everyone else in the world, he drinks lots of coffee and loves the smell of new, unsullied stationery.
Gideon loves giving stuff away.
You'll always find something free at his website, www.gideon-burrows.com, where you can also join his Reader's Club.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 2, 2023
Very enjoyable and wholesome read!
November 25, 2014
A surprisingly good read. Written in a humourous style, Gideon paints a wonderful picture of the British love affair with all things chilli. From his own attempts at growing different varieties to the trials and tribulations of small chilli farmers, sauce makers, chilli clubs (who knew?) and eating places, he visits them all in a well written and endearing way. An amalgam of a travelogue, a gardening guide and an observational piece on quirky British groups, it oozes fun and affection. Gideon's book has given me the taste for growing some more exotic varieties and I can't wait for Spring now. This is not just a book for those who want to grow chillis though so do read it as it touches on so many areas of interest and amusement. There is whole cult of the chilli out there!
July 2, 2016
I loved this book: basically an adventure through the British chilli landscape. I am a bit of a chilli nut, but must admit my expectations of the book weren't high. I think I was anticipating a bit of a dry read, which wasn't the case at all. This provided such an entertaining depiction of Brits and their love of chillis, from the small-time (and not so small-time) producers to those who place their tastebuds and their very stomachs on the line in the name of chilli heat. I laughed a lot, empathised some more, particularly around the trials and tribulations of growing said fruit, and was sad when I finished the book. I'd heartily recommend to anyone who likes even a tiny bit of heat in their food, or even those with an interest in Brits.
July 5, 2019
This was one spicy, hot book. By about 2/3 of the way in, it inspired me to eat a whole scotch bonnet. Things went really bad after that and it put a downer on things but I recommend this book if you're not impressionable, like me.
June 29, 2015
Growing, eating and visiting chillies - great
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews