Welsh Dragon Chilli

Since 2009, Chris Fowler has been growing fresh chilli peppers which he sells as fresh whole chillies and seeds - and turns them into many different types of small batch chilli sauce which he sells at Riverside Market.

”I'm based at Cefn Mably Farm Park where I also run another large polytunnel and veg patch, producing annually: sweet peppers, chillies, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, aubergines, garlic, pumpkins, squash, beans, courgettes and a while host of other veg for use at the farm park.

I was inspired to firstly get into growing chilli peppers as I'd never eaten a fresh Jalapeno! So I bought seeds, successfully grew them, producing a good yield and progressed further by growing many more different types of chilli and then naturally progressing further due to my love of capsicums. In 2009 I was the first person I know of in Wales to set up a business growing chilli peppers and producing sauces made from such locally grown produce. I was also inspired by capsicum growers like Michael Michaud from Peppers by Post in Dorset and Jukka Fatalii in Finland. Both of which are pepper legends to me!

I'm most proud of the Sugar Rush Peach chilli pepper I developed which is grown all over the world, including places as far flung as Guam and the Falklands Isles. It's also become one of THE most popular home grown chilli cultivars in America, with one of the biggest/best heirloom seed companies named Baker Creek stocking it and other cultivars I have created.

In 2021 I also grew the 2nd heaviest bell pepper int he world ever recorded at 727g, just 8g off the world record, which I hope to beat in 2023.

As well as the Sugar Rush Peach, I've also developed other cultivars of capsicum which have proved to be very popular world wide (with names like Peppapeach & Peppacream) and I'm currently developing several new chilli cultivars, including the World's 1st large 'Olive Rocoto' chilli, which stays green when fully ripe. My Olive Rocoto chilli sauce I sell at Riverside Market and I'm pleased to say is very popular.

I've collaborated with a few traders at the market over the years, providing fresh chilli peppers for food products and each year I do a limited edition batch of a sauce named Feel The Beets as a collaboration with Giant Veg World Record holder Kevin Fortey, who also started up and runs Giant Veg. UK. This annual batch contains giant beetroot, giant sweet peppers, sugar cane juice (from my Welsh grown sugar cane) and sugar rush peach chillies.

I like them all of course, but perhaps one of my most favourite of my sauces I produce is the medium heat brown Jalapeno sauce; it’s made from brown Jalapenos which I helped a friend in Holland develop over several years.”