Colour and fragrance are everywhere on Manor Farm, home to The Upton Cheyney Chilli Company, in late summer. Having worked in the printing industry for many years, Alex Duck was fascinated by colour and started growing chillies* at home for aesthetic rather than culinary reasons. When he rented a unit at Manor Farm to start a recycling business, he asked if he could erect a polytunnel to accommodate his growing collection of chilli plants, too.
Eight years later, dozens of different species fill five polytunnels with a rainbow of ripening pods, and the sweet-and-sour scents escaping from the sauce kitchen mingle with the oaky aroma of jalapeños turning to chipotles in the smoker. The Upton Cheyney Chilli Company is celebrated by chilli-heads and food lovers for its explosive (and not-so-explosive) sauces,…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, 1-Aug-2015