Komodo Dragon sale

Tesco shoppers with a mild palette should proceed with caution when navigating the veg aisle, as a new chilli pepper has gone on sale this week, which the supermarket claims is the hottest ever commercially grown in the UK.

The Komodo Dragon chilli pepper measures up to a scorching 1.4m Scoville units, and according to experts is 286 times hotter than a jalapeno. In comparison, the very hot Scotch Bonnet is rated as up to 350, 000 Scovilles - around a quarter of the spice intensity expected from a mouthful of the Komodo Dragon.

It’s so hot in fact, that Tesco is advising its customers that it must be handled with gloves.

Tesco chilli pepper buyer, Eleanor Mansell, said: “In recent years we’ve had the fearsome Dorset Naga, the searing Bhut Jolokia and the mouth-numbing Trinidad Scorpion. But they all pale in comparison with the UK’s latest commercially grown chilli pepper – the mighty Komodo Dragon – which puts the others in the shade.”

Tesco say that unlike other chilli peppers, The Komodo Dragon is unusual because it has a delayed reaction that lulls you into a false sense of security before the spicy kick sets in.

Mansell said: “At first you can taste a wonderful hot fruitiness, but then after about 10 seconds the full might of this little demon hits you and your whole mouth is aglow.”

She continued: “This is definitely a chilli pepper for connoisseurs and for those who are experienced in eating super-hot food.”

Grower Salvatore Genovese with his Komodo Dragon chilli peppers at the farm in Blunham.

The chilli is being grown in Blunham, Bedfordshire by the UK’s largest producer of chillies, Salvatore Genovese, who has spent 15 years trying to get the Komodo Dragon to thrive in the British climate.

The eye-watering chilli peppers are on sale now in 500 Tesco branches, and will be on the shelves until November. However, you might want to stock up on a few pints of milk before you step up to the challenge.