Whether your abilities to ingest Scoville ratings are somewhere around the Bell pepper (0 heat units), the Habanero chilli (100,000–350,000 SHU) or the aptly-named Carolina Reaper (an eye-gushing, mouth-aflaming, stomach-agitating 1,600,000- 2,200,000 SHU), there’s plenty to titillate your taste receptors at London’s Festival of Heat this Sunday.
Set to get underway at Red Market, Old Street — midday till 6:00pm — the event will host over 30 stalls hawking both fresh and bottled varieties; celebrating the multitude of ways in which to use and consume the hallowed pepper.
Workshops and masterclasses take place throughout the day at the Festival Kitchen and Debate Area, including ‘How to Make a Good Curry’, the Picnic Area is the place to enjoy (or endure) the buzz — with a chilli cocktail or beer in hand, chow down on a mix of Indonesian, Mexican and Peruvian street food from the likes of Ayam Happy, El Patron and El Peruanito. Expect the sounds of local DJs and bands.
Tickets are £7.50 per person, children under the age of 16 enter for free with a paying adult.
