The increasing influence of ethnic foods in the nation's diet is expanding the niche market for chilli peppers which can be grown in the UK between June and September.
"12 years ago our main customers were seed companies who met a limited need from enthusiastic gardeners who wanted something different," explains David Rogers, sales manager for Tozers Seeds, the UK's remaining independent seed breeder and distributor at Cobham, Surrey.
But today there is already an established production base with Tozer's supplying around a dozen commercial producers in the UK, as well as amateur horticulturists, sold via the packet seed companies. If greater proof of increasing popularity was needed, its current catalogue lists no less than 37, of which 15 are new varieties, not counting those grown as ornamentals.
There are plans to increase the scale of its trials nursery, currently using Spanish tunnels at nearby Ockham, to include a glasshouse.
Apart from meeting the demands from supermarket buyers, a further bonus for growers is that they are surprisingly free of diseases, says Rogers.
"Sowing under cover takes place in early February to late March. Later Botrytis can occur if conditions are favourable, but careful plant husbandry can usually avoid the problem. " he adds.
Tozer is not involved in seed breeding itself, but is using its own partnership arrangements linked to specialist breeders in the United States, Taiwan, Japan and Thailand to assist in making the UK selection, and working on developing new hybrids specifically for the European market.
Chilli peppers have a culture all of their own. "It's a far cry from when chillies were sold loose, and often looked bruised and tied," recalls Rogers. "This is now being realised by multiples who are pre-packing and labelling shiny well graded products labelled by type, variety, and even strength."
So its current selection is an amalgam of different sizes, shapes and colours, which even have defined levels of heat. Chillies have their own Scoville Index which has British Standard accreditation, based on a set of dilutions which define acidic bite.
Tozer's list is broadly split into four categories. The more common varieties are traditionally picked green, although they can be left to ripen until red, explains James Hatherill, European sales manager.
Jalapeno. which is the traditional Mexican type, includes a mild form as well as the more pungent versions. For the UK market these are used in green form, as they tend to crack and go soft at red stage.
Cayenne types are longer and thinner and, in some cases are even stronger and provide additional yellow and orange fruits. These tend to be more popular for the hobby market/amateur growers.
New Mexican are the standard green and red, slightly conical in shape, and are regarded as multipurpose, serving the needs of the wholesale market, supermarket and food service.
James Hatherill, meanwhile says that the Chinense type come technically from a different family and can be eight or nine times hotter. Many are those already recognised on the retail shelf by enthusiasts for their pungency, and have names like Scotch Bonnet, red, yellow and orange Habanero.
And finally a selection of varieties which raise the temperature of taste even higher with fiery names like Tabasco, Super Hot F1 and Superchilli F1.
And selected seed is also being re-exported by English growers who have nurseries in countries such as Spain, South Africa and Morocco which come into production in the winter.
"We have built up one of the highest levels of expertise in Europe in a very short period and are now advising both retail buyers and commercial growers," says Hatherill. "We used to supply seeds in hundreds, but now it has reached several million."
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