Chilli Fest returns to Waddesdon Manor to spice up your life (30 August – 1 September)

It’s set to be the hottest ticket around when Waddesdon Manor’s annual Chilli Fest returns at the end of this month (Friday 30 August), for a weekend of flavour-packed family fun (until Sunday 1 September).

It’s a brilliant way to round off the school holidays, with a trip to the stunning Manor’s beautiful gardens – to meet and sample the incredible produce made by specially-selected exhibitors, who are all passionate about all things CHILLI!

We believe that variety really is the spice of life, so Chilli Fest is your chance to meet some of Buckinghamshire’s very best artisanal growers, makers and producers, along with some of the nation’s best loved independent traders from across the country.

Throughout the weekend there’s a (chilli) jam-packed programme of live music, family entertainment and children’s activities, as well as the opportunity to simply walk round and enjoy our famous gardens.

Join MC and DJ Nathan Swift across the three days, as he fires you up in readiness for performances by the likes of roaming party band The Stray Horns (Friday), the infectious brass funk of Tuba Libres (Saturday) and the crazy mariachi sounds of Beatto Burrito (Sunday), plus live sets by super-talented local singer/songwriters Andy Robbins (Saturday) and Lewis Branch (Sunday).

The Sunday line-up also features acoustic duo Stereotypes and the incredibly exciting local trio, Haze Band.

Fans of the hit TV show Dragon’s Den will also be given a fresh opportunity to enjoy different kinds of flavas, from none other than the legendary Levi Roots. A household name for his Reggae Reggae Sauce, Levi will bring you a fabulous mix of total bangers during his DJ set on Saturday evening.

For families with little ones, don’t miss one of the biggest and most colourful stars on BBC CBeebies, Bluey. The lovable and inexhaustible (sound familiar, mums and dads?) blue heeler puppy will be making a very special visit to Waddesdon Manor, to join in with a series of story time sessions at intervals (held throughout Friday) to help make amazing memories. So, make sure your smartphones are fully charged up for the photos!

Of course, another visual treat that promises to be a lava minute, is our Chilli Eating Competition (Saturday and Sunday). Do you have an iron stomach? Tastebuds with tolerance? If so, we dare you to put your constitution to the ultimate test.

Organised in conjunction with our really cool friends, the Clifton Chilli Club, this is your chance to show that not only do you like it hot, but you can actually eat the pepper equivalent of a blast furnace.

The competitive chilli-eating scene is red hot right now, so this is your chance to show what hot stuff you are and bid for that coveted title, Waddesdon Chilli Champion.

If you’re not familiar with how a chilli-eating competition works, the concept is very simple – each contestant must eat a whole chilli, right down to the stalk. If it stays down – a la the Bushtucker Trials on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity – then you progress to the next round.

However, the chillies will progressively get hotter – based on the Scoville Scale, which measures the piquancy or heat of chilli peppers. For example, a Jalapeno scores around 2,500-8,000 but the fearsome Carolina Reaper is rated up to a tongue-trashing two million.

One-by-one competitors are sure to drop out as the tension and heat rises with each round.

If you’re up for this fiery challenge, just visit the folks at Clifton Chilli Club at the main stage to enter. It’s completely free but, be quick, spaces are limited and fill up fast!

Away from the nihilistic Naga noshers, the Food Market offers you a mouthwatering selection of products; including drinks, biscuits, bread and cakes, chutneys, jams and preserves, oils and vinegars, to sweet treats, homewares and plants. There will also be a number of bars, food-to-go stands and coffee stands.

You can also take part in judging a selection of sauces, oils and pickles in the Taste Tent and vote for your favourite mild, medium or hot sauce. The winning traders will be announced on Sunday on the main stage.

Saturday 31 August features later closing (with opening times from10am to 7pm), with prices from £19.50 per adult and kids from £10.50. For National Trust/Art Fund Members tickets are available from: Adult £6, Child £4.

For more information, visit https://waddesdon.org.uk/whats-on/chilli-festival/

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Waddesdon Manor was built at the end of the 19th century by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the style of a French early 16th-century château. Baron Ferdinand was an inspired collector, and the house was designed to showcase his exceptional collection of French 18th-century furniture, Sèvres porcelain, English portraits and other decorative arts. When Ferdinand died in 1898, he left Waddesdon to his sister, Alice, who also was a great collector. Upon her death the house passed to her great-nephew, James de Rothschild, who inherited a substantial part of his father Baron Edmond’s great collection. In 1957, in order to ensure its future in perpetuity, Waddesdon was bequeathed to the National Trust.  The Rothschild family continues to run Waddesdon through a family charitable trust under the chairmanship of Lord Rothschild. More at https://waddesdon.org.uk/about-us/press/notes-for-editors/

For more information on Waddesdon Manor and its exhibitions, visit www.waddesdon.org.uk, like @WaddesdonManor on Facebook, follow @WaddesdonManor on Twitter and @waddesdonmanor_nt on Instagram.

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