The rise of the Wiltshire Chilli Farmer

A farm in Wiltshire is experiencing growth at a rapid rate, but it is not your conventional type of agriculture.

It is in fact a chilli farm that started out as a hobby in a back garden.

Three years on and that hobby has turned into one of the largest producers in the country.

When Jamie Sythes planted 50 chilli pots in his parents back garden near Melksham, little did he know just a few years on he would be preparing to harvest 9 tonnes worth to keep up with demand for this spicy number as his Wiltshire Chilli Farm began selling produce up and down the country.

The farm has expanded at a rapid rate. A couple of small green houses were soon joined by some poly tunnels as Jamie began selling to wholesalers and developing his own products from sauces to jams. But yet more growing space was needed.

Thankfully for Jamie's parents he moved much of the operation into this huge green house down the road, where 6 thousand plants are being carefully cultivated.

And of course, you can't visit one of the country's largest chilli farms without trying a chilli and you might as well go for a hot one. Jamie kindly provided me with a Naga Bhut Jolikia or ghost chilli, which until 2012 held the record for the world's hottest chilli pepper, something Jamie neglected to tell me. He also failed to mention there were plans to use it as a non lethal weapon to flush terrorists from their hideouts and control rioters.

You can see what happened when I tackled it, in the video below: