Chilli temptations

You will probably think I am a bit of a wimp, however, I do not like chilli. I have tried to like it and it does nothing for me. Why do so many recipes and restaurants use it in great amounts? What can be used as a substitute? As an aside, I would like to mention my grandson, Robert Tricklebank. He tells me you are the best person he has worked for. Thank you for giving him the opportunity to follow his dream. reality is that they offer really delicious flavours as well, some more than others. However, I assume it’s their spicy heat that you don’t enjoy? It’s the fibres that hold the seeds in place inside the chilli that contain the bulk of the heat. If you slice a chilli lengthways (wear gloves) then scrape the seeds and fibres out using a teaspoon, you’ll be rid of most of the heat. Some will still be present, of course, but what you’ll now experience if you add the flesh to a soup or stew, is a flavour that can come only from chillies — it can’t be replaced by cumin, cinnamon or fennel seeds, for example.

Aleppo chilli or kirmizi biber, is a chilli that is processed without seeds. It’s not spicy-hot at all but the flavour is really interesting. The scotch bonnet, whose close cousin is known as the habanero, ranges in colour when ripe from pale yellow through to butternut orange and fiery red. It is my favourite fresh chilli because of its distinctive flavour, which is a little sweet and very aromatic. The chillies themselves