Great buds of fire

I have to confess I didn't expect much when I got this chilli plant from the garden centre. They're not even supposed to grow that well in this country.

Any doubts I might have had were swiftly put to bed when we arrived home one night with some friends after a session at the pub and I decided to show off my produce growing skills by eating one. Raw.

My mouth was on fire. Even a glass of milk failed to quell the blaze, and my efforts to extinguish the burn were met with much mirth from the gathered guests.

Since then this little fella has consistently come up with more chillis than we could ever hope to eat, so much so that we've taken to sending any visitors home with a chilli goodie bag.

It's now October and the chilli plant continues to yield its crop. Meanwhile, the memories of that fateful evening have gone down in legend, along with the potency of my chillies.

It's going to be a hot winter.