National Chili Day celebrated at El Parador for charity.

Hannah Slough (manager) and Michelle from Chelsea's Angels

PRESS RELEASE

Monday, February 24, 2014

Spicy menu launched for National Chilli Day

A Mexican restaurant in Wellingborough is marking a national celebration of chillies by rustling up an extra spicy menu and donating a slice of the profits to a children’s charity.

Lovers of hot food can spice up their life with an extra helping of heat served up by El Parador on, and for the week following, National Chilli Day, which takes place on Thursday, February 27.

Irthlingborough-based Chelsea’s Angels is getting 15 per cent of any dish sold from the ‘Chilli Challenge’ menu launched to celebrate the occasion.

Hannah Slough, manager of the restaurant based at the town’s The Hind Hotel, in Sheep Street, said: “We believe in supporting the community especially extremely worthy causes like Chelsea’s Angels and also believe in having a bit of fun, so we decided to launch this special menu.

“We have ordered in the spiciest Habanero chillies available especially, so come down and sample the hot, hot food if you think you can handle the heat.”

The Habanero is the hottest chilli in Mexican food registering up to 350,000 on the Scoville scale, the global measurement of chilli heat.

A typical scotch bonnet chilli weighs in at about 200,000 Scovilles while a Jalepeno is just 5,000, making the Habanero a fearsome beast for even the most asbestos-lined stomach.

As well as the Habanero, the Ancho chilli, which has a score of 1,000, will be also served up for those who prefer their food with a little less zing. The food on the menu includes fajitas, burritos and bean burgers.

Michelle Tomkins, co-founder of the charity formed in memory of her three-year-old niece Chelsea Knighton, who lost her brave battle with a rare childhood cancer in 2009, said: “I like a mild heat so Habanero chillies are beyond me, however, we are hugely appreciative of this generous gesture.

“The money raised will enable us to continue to support children with cancer and their parents who go through the most unimaginable, heart-breaking journey with their battles against the condition.”

Chelsea’s Angels offers support to children diagnosed with cancer and their family, from offering gifts, day trips, small holidays, financial support and funding for medical equipment and treatments.

Chilli facts:

• A green chilli pod has as much vitamin C as six oranges.
• Some cultures put chilli powder in their shoes to keep their feet warm.
• The first chilli cook-off took place in 1967 in Terlinga, Texas.
• Hot chilli peppers burn calories by triggering a thermodynamic burn in the body, which speeds up the metabolism.
• Chilli pepper colour is a function of ripeness. Green peppers are usually not fully ripe and the same pepper could be green, yellow, orange, or red depending on its level of ripeness.
• The first documented recipe for chilli con carne is dated September 2, 1519.