A FAMILY from Cwmbran are celebrating after receiving official confirmation from Guinness World Records for growing the heaviest chilli pepper in the world.

Kevin Fortey, helped by his 11-year-old son Jamie, snatched the record from rivals last year at the Canna UK National Giant Vegetables Championship at the Malvern Autumn Show.

The winning Poblano pepper weighed in at 0.348kg and was first world record to be grown hydroponically - a process without soil.

In recent weeks, the Fortey family received a certificate from Guinness World Records crediting Kevin, Gareth and Marjorie Fortey and Jamie Courtney-Fortey with the record.

Kevin Fortey, whose dad Mike set up the idea of giant vegetable growing in the UK in the 1980s, said it was a product of “hard work and determination” and a “real family accomplishment”.

“My dad started of all the UK giant vegetable growing and it was the icing on the Christmas cake,” he said.

“We set out to try and secure world records but they’re getting harder and harder to achieve.

“When one comes along it’s quite a big accomplishment.”

The record-breaking chilli is also the second time the Fortey name has been in the Guinness Book of World Records - in 2015 they grew the world’s longest radish.

The skin of the most recent award-winning vegetable - a Mexican Poblano chilli - was also used by son Jamie to make a chilli.

But the process of growing the gargantuan vegetables is a mixture of old techniques borrowed from the family tradition and newer scientific leaps in vegetable growing.

Civil servant Mr Fortey said this includes the traditional art of seed production combined with hydroponic growing.

The family’s hydroponic method, he explained, uses nutrient rich soil substitutes and a system called GoGro which protects plants from factors such as the weather while cultivating faster growth.

The debate between soil vs hydroponics was also explored in BBC’s Countryfile with presenter Paul Martin speaking to Mr Fortey about his methods.

Looking forward, the Cwmbran family hope to continue experimenting and have already grown a 2.7kg tomato.

“It’s trial and error for us, traditionally we would be growing in soil but hydroponics are a different science and you have to develop new skills and really change your way of growing,” Mr Fortey said.

“My dad was a scientist in terms of seed production but myself, my brother and Jamie have grown veg double the size of his from back in the 90s. In part, its from what my dad taught us.

“We have developed his science of seed production and developed our own growing techniques.

“As life moves on, so do techniques.

“We’re really trying to change the science by growing giant veg and growing something that’s not meant to grow that big.”

Mr Fortey added thanks to his mum Marjorie for her support and to professional hydroponic wholesaler PLANT!T and Hydrogarden for developing the GoGro system.

For more information on giant vegetable growing, visit www.giantveg.co.uk or search @giantvegetablecommunity on Facebook.