Did you know that Chillies originated in the Americas, and that we have been using it in our diets for nearly 10,000 years? You can thank Christopher Columbus  for bringing it back to spain in the 15th century where it spread across the rest of the world!

Currently, there are over 200 variety of chillies and they vary wildly in colour, taste and heat levels. There are green chillies, red chillies, white chillies and purple chillies and range from the milder jalapeno pepper at approx 5000 SHU , to the world record holding Carolina Reaper Chilli that can reach over 2,000,000 SHU

What are the Health Benefits of Chillies?

Chillies contain a huge amount of vitamin C. In fact some chillies contain up to 7 times the amount of vitamin C as an orange! They can also help with congestion, pain relief (including migraines and muscle aches) and can also help to boost metabolism that can aid in weight loss!

A small number of studies have also shown that capsaicin, the active ingredient in chillies that provide their heat may also play a role in treating lung and prostate cancer and leukaemia.