Such is our national love of chillis that there are a number of local chilli growers in the middle of the English countryside, and this weekend many local and national producers will be heading to Abingdon for the Oxfordshire Chilli Festival.

Stallholders will vye to offer ever-hotter and more exotic varieties, fierce sauces and innovative chilli products, with a backdrop of music and dancing in the market square. Children are welcomed and entertained too, even if their tastebuds aren't yet fully fireproof.

For anyone who thinks they're completely heatproof, there's the Chilli Eating Competition. Entry is £10 and donations go to the local good causes. It starts easy, with a common or garden jalapeno. The heat builds, as contestants work their way up to the California Reaper, with a heat rating of over 1.5 million Scovilles.

If you're not into stunt-eating that's fine too - chillies are full of vitamin C (much more than oranges, weight for weight) and the habanero has a delicate fragrant flavour underneath the fiery heat. There's a chilli out there for everyone.