THE heat was on in more ways than one at the Chilli and Cheese Festival held in War Memorial Gardens over the weekend.

A total of over 5,000 keen foodies joined the festival in the scorching weekend weather to try chillis and cheeses from an array of stalls.

With around 100 stalls throughout the event, with many of them selling different varieties of the two foodstuffs, there was something for every taste.

There was also a vote for festivalgoers favourite chillis in the mild, medium, and hot categories.

Simon Stewart, one of the event’s organisers, said: “We have had some really great feedback from people who attended. This year marks our fourth year of bringing the festival to Basingstoke, which is great. War Memorial Park is a beautiful location, and we used one of the smaller areas, which made everything a bit more intimate, which was good for the traders.”

As well as the food stalls, there was also a lot of family entertainment on at the event. As a part of the festival, there was live music from local bands, Bhangra dancing, acapella singing, pig racing and falconry.

Another treat for the culinary-minded were cooking demonstrations, which were being held throughout the day, teaching people different ways to use their new purchases.

Simon added: “We’re hoping to be putting this on in Basingstoke every year, and we’re keen to do so. Even though turnout on Sunday was affected by the football, it was still a great event.”

Pictures from the event are published in today's Gazette.