Hot weather and ideal growing conditons have brought forward the start of the UK chilli pepper season by five weeks.
Tesco reports that there will be twice as many of the infamous Bedfordshire-grown Carolina Reaper variety this year, which is well timed given recent increases in demand.
Last year Brits bought an estimated 230 million chilli peppers - a 50 per cent increase since 2011. Tesco said it saw sales of super-hot chillies rocket by 130 per cent in 2016, driven by demand for the Carolina Reaper. The variety, which is grown exclusively for Tesco by Salvatore Genovese in Bedfordshire, weighs in at 2.2 million Scoville units and is 400 times hotter than a jalapeno.
The supermarket's chilli pepper buyer Phoebe Burgess said: 'The extension to the British chilli season means we will have a lot more of the legendary Carolina Reaper available for customers this summer. We know that a growing number of customers really love to cook with hot chillies and the Carolina Reaper has a rich fruity flavour with a slightly sweet taste so a tiny sliver could transform everyday favourite dishes.”
Genovese added:“This year we’ve had really good levels of light and some great weather which has helped push the season forward. I’ve also planted a lot more of the Carolina Reaper because the high demand last summer took us by surprise. That, together with the earlier start to the season, means we will have nearly twice as many as last year.”
Tesco is also stocking the previously hottest UK-grown variety, the Komodo Dragon, as well as the Scotch Bonnet and Habanero in red, green, chocolate and yellow; Flavia; Purple Valentina; Cayenne; Fresno in yellow, green, red and orange; and the Serenade.
