I love chilli. For me, food without chilli is like fish and chips without vinegar or the FA Cup final without ‘Abide with Me’. As a result, this book is a bit of a bible for me and has provided me with essential help when it was needed.
For example, earlier this year (2020), I decided to grow a Tabasco chilli (a variety of Capsicum frutescens), as one does, and duly bought a plant online, and I also ‘accidentally’ bought a ‘Habanero white chilli’ (a variety of Capsicum chinense) at my local garden centre. Armed with the knowledge, I planted, pinched out, fed, took them outside (on the express orders of the wife), and crossed my fingers and hoped (as you can see from the pictures). I’ll let you know later in the Summer how I get on, but the book says I could get up to 100 fruits from my ‘Tabasco’ plant. I can’t wait.
I suppose what I am really saying is that it is always fun to grow your own food and chillies should be no exception. Therefore, this little guide starts by explaining the basics – what a chilli is, what gives them their kick (the Scoville Scale is a favourite of mine) and growing them yourself. The latter advice includes information on what is needed, growth cycles, diseases and disorders, and caring for the plants, among other things. It then provides an extensive compendium of chilli selections (such as the wonderfully named ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’, ‘Numex Twilight’ and ‘Ring of Fire’, along with more well-known ones, such as ‘Jalapeño’, ‘Joe’s Long’ and ‘Scotch Bonnet’); and finishes by explaining how to use, cook and eat them. It is also full of charts, checklists, photographs and pictures, all packed into what is really a pocket-sized guidebook. What more could you ask for?
Kay Maguire trained at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, after which she has been writing and making films about gardening and wildlife. She writes for magazines and websites, and is the author of the award-winning RHS How to Grow Your Own Crops in Pots.
Red Hot Chilli Grower: The Complete Guide to Planting, Picking and Preserving Chillis, by Kay Maguire, published by Mitchell Bleazley, London (2015). 143 pages, hardback. ISBN 978-1-78472-043-8
