Despite Winter Coming, Leeds Just Got Hotter

Leeds has just received a welcome injection of warmth, as Frank Jay, a chilli fanatic from Brighton, has opened his new flagship store in the Merrion Centre. The Chilli Shop brings the heat in a big way. There is a special section reserved for their hottest products, labelled the ‘Museum of Pain’.

Frank organised the UK’s first chilli festival back in Brighton, attracting 10,000 people. Happily, for the fearless fire-eaters of Leeds, he plans to host a chilli festival in the city, which will include a brutal chilli-eating competition.

He said, “I really love Leeds and decided it was the right place to open my first shop outside Brighton. I loved the location of the Merrion centre in the Arena Quarter.”

They have a heat measuring system to help customers. Satan’s Sweat, a red naga sauce, is rated 10/10. At 75/10, Mad Dog Silver Special Addition is in another league of pain. But that’s nothing compared to ‘Suspect Device,’ measuring 13 million Scoville units. To put that in perspective, a Jalapeño is 2,500 – 5,000, a Scotch Bonnet is 100,000 – 325,000, and police grade pepper spray is 5.3 million. Not recommended for those who wish to live.

But it’s not all extreme. They do chilli-infused jams and honey, and a variety of other tasty, non-lethal products.

Back to news