The combination of spicy food and beer proved an irresistible draw at the weekend, with thousands attending Scotland’s first chilli festival.
Around 2,000 people made the journey to Scone Palace on Saturday and Sunday to sample all things chilli-flavoured, from ciders to curries.
“We are absolutely delighted with the numbers who have turned out for the first ever event of its kind in Scotland,” said Scone Palace administrator Elspeth Bruce.
The highlight of both days of the Great Scottish Braves Harvest Chilli Festival was a chilli eating contest.
The crowds took a break from sampling the chilli chutneys and curries to see the bravest or most foolhardy attempt to eat chillies of varying strengths.
Among those taking part was the Beechgrove Garden’s Carole Baxter, who was filming a piece on the festival for inclusion in the TV programme.Photo gallery:Great Scottish Braves Harvest Chilli Festival at Scone PalaceThe contest proved a little hot for her and she was the first of the competitors on Saturday to fall by the wayside and reach for a comforting glass of milk.
The contest is a ‘last man standing’ competition and one by one those taking part dropped out as the increasingly hot chillies proved too much.
Despite some macho posturing from the male-dominated field, and to the delight of the crowd, Saturday’s champion was Linda Richford, 45, from Glasgow, who munched her way through a dozen of the hottest chillies known to man.
She revealed her secret at the conclusion of the contest: she had prepared her palate for the challenge by buying the hottest chilli sauce in the world on the internet.
Event organiser Alexander Mustang, from London, said he was delighted to bring the event north of the border.
“It is a beautiful venue,” he said of the palace grounds.
Running the chilli festival was a hobby which had originally been conceived as a way of cheering up a friend of his.
He said that, due to the overwhelming success of the venture, he hoped they would return to Scotland in the not too distant future.