Fremantle Chilli Festival

If you ask my husband (our resident gourmet cook) what is one of his favorite ingredients to cook with besides the usually good quality olive oil or fresh garlic, I think he would most definitely say Chilli. My husband loves chilli and never misses an opportunity to add bit of spice to his dishes. Like most chilli lovers, my husband believes Chilli livens up a dish and really enhances the flavour. So naturally, when he found out that there will be a big Chilli Festival in town he was really excited to check it out!
This year, Araluen’s Chilli Festival was again held at Fremantle’s Esplanade park. The festival originally was held at Araluen Botanical Gardens but to keep up with its growing popularity they decided 2 years ago to move the event to bigger surroundings.
As we aproached the entry gates of the festival we were amazed to see the massive line of people that was waiting to get in. Luckily we didn’t have to wait to long as the ticket box opened, people were served quickly and within a few minutes we were walking through the entry gates of the Chilli Festival.
Our plan of attack was to start from the the left hand side and work our way around so we could check out each stall and hopefully discover some delicious foodie finds. There was heaps of different types of chilli products on offer like sauces, relishes, spices and rubs just to name a few. Towards the back of the festival there was a popup garden centre for people to buy chilli plants. The garden centre had chilli plants from all varieties as well as different heat levels ranging from mild to EXTREME.
About an hour in, we were starting to get a bit peckish. As I cannot handle chilli I opted for some delicious Calamari Squid Rings with a tangy dipping sauce. My hubby on the other hand, picked up some Jalepeno poppers. He was very impressed. ‘The best Jalepeno Poppers I’ve had so far!’ They used good quality chillies and the spicy cheese filling was so creamy and tasty. He gave it a BIG thumbs up.
This was our very first time going to the Chilli Festival and we both really enjoyed ourselves. The location, the weather and the people all helped make it a lovely day out.

$ 18 entry to access a public park where you pay too much for food & drinks. Some of the samples you even have to pay for. Sure there’s free sunscreen, but for $ 18 I could buy my own & then some. Would rather go up to Araluen, at least it’s a change of environment & feels more like a day event. Must be popular though, seeing the constant queue to get in. Not a fan personally, sorry.

If there is one event that sets Freo on fire it is the Chilli festival– held annually on an early March weekend (This year it was Sat the 10^th and Sun the 11^th March) which gives the fire breathers around town the chance to get their fix and stock up for the winter with all the chilli creations they could wish or want for.
Store holders from all over Australia get in quick for a plot to exhibit the cream of their crop for that year, however, due to the $ 35 entry fee, interest from the locals has been petering out somewhat– not for the die-​hard fans or chilli chasers but if you’re paying that kind of money to get in, you’d want to be buying more than just a jar or two of chilli jam to make it worth while.
A mate of mine who is a chef at Salt stocks up BIG on the «death chilli» sauce to make signature pizzas with a bite and the jar she gave me has filled a void in my life that nothing else could– I’ll ensure my portion control stretches this 75gram jar til next year.
The chilli festival is a cultural highlight and with little creatures just down the road to extinguish any burns, it’s worth forking out to at least send one person to represent your tribe.

I have a few issues with this event. One is the fact that they are holding a chilli festival in the summer. This year the temperatures soared into the 40’s, not the best heat to be sitting and tasting chilli unless you bring your own packet of wet wipes for your brow and cubes of ice.
Secondly I realise that this is intended as a gourmet approach to chilis with cooking demos and samples but I wonder why it is $ 15 in when you have to purchase everything once you get in there.
Those gripes aside, it is a good idea (at a different time of the year) and everyone loves a good chili and a good cook off. I think the problem is that I imagine an episode of the simpsons and their version of a chili festival.