September 6, 2022

Meet The Producer: Cornish Chillies

You can’t miss the Cornish Chillies stall at market! The vibrant display of beautiful fresh chillies, alongside their popular range of chilli-based products, always draws an admiring crowd. You’ll find them at market every Wednesday and Saturday throughout most of the year.

We caught up with co-owner Scott Hall to find out what inspired him to start growing chillies in Cornwall, why we should buy the good stuff locally, and about his plans for world domination – one chilli at a time!

What inspired you to start growing chillies in Cornwall?

“It all started in 2016 when, alongside a friend of mine Rachel, I started growing a few hundred plants as something of an experiment,” explains Scott. “It just snowballed from there really. Rachel moved on to pursue other interests, but my wife Sue joined me in the business. We’ve steadily built it up year after year.”

Before this Scott worked in local government and Sue was in optics; these days their lives are dominated by their beloved chilli plants – they currently have around 4000 and employ four staff to help care for them!

Were chillies something you’d always been interested in?

“Yes, but not really from a horticultural point of view. It was the food angle that brought me into the business of growing chillies,” says Scott. “I’ve always been up for trying new things when cooking or going to restaurants, and I love eating a wide variety of dishes from all over the world.”

He continues: “A lot of the dishes I love, whether they originate from Thailand, Mexico, India or the Caribbean, involve chilli. People always assume that means I love ‘hot’ food but that’s not really the case. I love the variety of types of chilli available, and that fresh injection of flavour which they provide – better than anything else in my opinion! Not all chillies are hot and when used cleverly they can add amazingly subtlety to dishes.”

Is it difficult to grow chillies in the UK?

Scott’s current site at Summercourt is a hive of activity from early spring through to the autumn, as he explains. “Obviously it’s a seasonal crop in this country and the plants are grown in polytunnels. In fact, they start early in the spring in propagators, then move to smaller tunnels which are lit as well as heated. Later in the season when the plants are robust enough, they go into the bigger polytunnels. A good early spring is very helpful for us, it really kick-starts the crop.”

Scott uses organic methods. He relies on organic compost and natural fertilisers, and amongst other things uses waste coffee grounds from fellow market traders, Landmark Speciality Coffee. He also only uses organic methods of pest control, which mainly involves releasing ladybird larvae which eat many pests.

How many varieties do you grow?

“We now grow 56 varieties of chilli, from the nearly heatless to the hottest chillies in the world,” says Scott proudly. “Some of these are quite mainstream and can be used in a wide variety of dishes, but others are more niche. We’re sometimes asked to grow specific varieties for restaurants or food producers who are having trouble sourcing exactly what they need.”

Cornish Chillies are also sometimes contacted because they already grow an unusual variety. For example, The Mexican Embassy reached out to Scott and Sue ahead of an important event, because they couldn’t find the specific variety their chef needed anywhere else in the UK.

Scott is a font of knowledge when it comes to chillies and works closely with sauce-makers, chefs and development kitchens who call on him for expert advice. He’s also collaborated with some of our other stallholders, for example Delea Fermented Foods and Rosemullion Gin, on developing products which include Cornish-grown chillies.

Why should we buy locally grown chillies?

“For many reasons,” enthuses Scott. “In terms of sustainability and food miles, we’re growing something specialist here which therefore doesn’t need to be imported from thousands of miles away. Plus, our chillies are grown organically, and you’ll get them so much fresher than the generic ‘green’ and ‘red’ chillies you find in the supermarkets. Use our chillies for inspiration to help you create colourful, healthy and flavoursome dishes – you can’t go wrong!”

Scott harvests his own seeds each year, and there is very little wastage of the crop. The chillies can be frozen or dried (Cornish Chillies sell dried and flaked chillies as well as fresh) and of course made into sauces, jams and chutneys, which also gives Scott store cupboard products he can sell at market all year.

Do you have a favourite variety?

“I love them all really,” says Scott, adding: “They’re a wonderful crop to grow as they’re so colourful and each has an interesting story behind it – and often a fun name!”

“One of my favourites is the Chocolate Habanero which has a smoky, earthy flavour – it’s great in all kinds of Mexican food. Another I regularly enjoy with salads and stir fries is the Apricot Habanero – it has a completely different flavour profile and is heatless, with notes of melon and apricot. However, my current favourite has to be the Aji Limon, which has a little kick of heat but also a sweet citrus tang. We’ve made a great chilli jam using this.”

Some Cornish Chillies products celebrate the connections between Cornwall and the rest of the world. Historically, Cornwall’s expert miners travelled to places including Southern India, Jamaica and Mexico and many placenames and even traditions – such as the Mexican province of Hidalgo’s pasty day – still testify to this legacy.

What’s next for Cornish Chillies?

Scott and Sue have secured a site on the Trewithen Estate between Truro and St Austell, where they have planning permission to create a purpose-built growing and production facility. “It will give us more space to expand, as well as welcome visitors for tours and educational activities,” explains Scott. They’ll also be a hospitality offering and a shop, and the couple hope to host events such as feast nights.

The next few years are certainly going to be exciting at Cornish Chillies. Here at market we’re thrilled to be part of Scott and Sue’s journey.

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