IT GETS chilly in Mudgee, but not enough to stop local seed supplier Royston Petrie Seeds growing cayenne chillies.
The town is renowned for its asparagus and tomatoes, but certainly not chillies, which typically thrive in tropical climates.
Last month, Rowena Lewis, owner and manager of the family-owned business, planted 800 seedlings following trials that yielded "kilograms" of the red hot fruit.
They're now thriving.
But the seed won't be on-sold as the chillies will stay local and will be used by condiment connoisseur Linda Wilson to make her famous Linda's Original Sweet Chilli Relish.
"It's the first time we've attempted something like this," Mrs Lewis said.
"It's not ideal growing weather for seed-production because we've got such a hot summer, but our trial plants certainly did produce a lot of chillies which is good news for Linda."
Mrs Wilson makes up to 500 bottles of relish a month, which she sells online and at farmers markets across Central West NSW.
Previously, her chilli supply came from small backyard gardeners in the area, but she relied on the Flemington Markets in Sydney for a constant supply.
She approached Mrs Lewis because she wanted to make a product that was truly local.
"We require quality, fresh chillies (not dried) and a lot of them," Mrs Wilson said.
"I'm thrilled to have chillies that are grown right here in Mudgee.
"We mix them with apples from Orange, lime juice from Narromine, and garlic from the Bathurst markets."
Mrs Lewis said she was thrilled to partner with Linda's Chilli Relish.
"Growing seed has been my background since the 1970s, so diversifying and doing something different that brings an income to us and mutually benefits another local business is really exciting."
Having started her business five years ago as a hobby, Mrs Wilson is now run off her feet.
She cooks three batches of relish from her small Mudgee farmhouse kitchen three times a week.
"I'm having the best time of my life, though. I'm having a lot fun."
Before retiring to Mudgee with her husband Bruce, Mrs Wilson was a food editor and photography food stylist.
Her venture into condiments began five years ago.
"Bruce entered a jar of the chilli relish into the Mudgee Show and won a blue ribbon," Mrs Wilson said.
"We thought, okay, let's give it a go selling it with a cute label at the Mudgee Farmers Markets.
"It's been go, go, go from there."
Mrs Wilson has since made variations on her original relish product, including a chilli-chocolate sauce.
