CHEFS turned up the heat in Winchester as thousands flocked to the city's first Cheese and Chilli Festival.

The weekend's already balmy weather was fired by an exhibition of spicy foods from around the world on North Walls Recreation Ground.

Residents with a taste for fiery food could try tastings, cookery classes and more in temperatures peaking at 25 degrees.

Around 5,000 people came through the gates on Saturday and Sunday for the family day out, featuring stunts, falconry, wine tasting, magic shows and a real ale festival with Ringwood Brewery.

Some were unhappy with the £5 adult entry fee, claiming it was poorly advertised. Some tried to sneak onto the field from the other side of the River Itchen, while John O'Leary, of Rances Way, told the Chronicle: "I think it was a cheek to charge this amount, and very short-sighted, especially as the traders would have paid for their pitch anyway."

Many of the 70 stalls showcased unusual chilli plants, attracting spice-lovers from across the south, while locals enjoyed live music from bands like Davy Jones Locker. The Southampton covers band tore into a Red Hot Chili Peppers number to mark the occasion.

Organiser Simon Stewart launched the festival last year in Christchurch, Dorset. Its first Hampshire outing was in Basingstoke last month.

North Walls Recreation Ground is not regularly used for large events, partly due to weight restrictions on bridges over the river. But Mr Stewart hopes to convince Winchester City Council to let him repeat the festival next year in partnership with Winchester BID and street food magazine Streetzine.

He said: "We try to localise it but what we find is we get people from far afield come and enjoy the day. It's a beautiful day, so more people are out than usual.

"It's my passion, cheese and chilli. We've always done events and always wanted to have a cheese and chilli festival. These types of events are relatively commonplace [elsewhere]."