An Uxbridge woman braved the heat to win a chilli eating contest.
The red-faced contestants battled through 12 rounds of chilli heat starting with padron peppers all the way up to the hottest chilli in the world - the chocolate scorpion.
Shahina Waseem, of Cowley, describes the pain of feasting through the fever-hot peppers.
She told getwestlondon: “The pain from my lips, mouth and throat being on fire, ear drums feeling like they were about to explode, face muscles twitching involuntarily, hands shaking uncontrollably, shivers, chills and shakes and violent body tremors... Followed by muscle spasms and cramps and heartburn... was all worth it for the win!”
The competition, at this year's Foodies Festival, at Syon Park, Brentford, was so fierce organisers ran out of all possible chilli and improvised by giving the hottest chilli in the world, swimming in a spoonful of pure capsaicin liquid extract, as a tie-breaker.
Ms Waseem, who came joint-first after suffering through the 16m scoville unit concoction, loved the support from the crowds.
She added: “I had little girls coming up with their mums to give me a kiss and people coming to shake my hand and congratulate me and to tell me how impressed they are.”
The spice-lover, who carries a bottle of Da'Bomb with her to every restaurant, wants to continue her success after previously winning at Kingston Chilli Challenge, in 2012, and last year's Foodie's Chilli Challenge at Battersea Park.
She said: “My plan is to partake in, and win, as many chilli eating contests as possible around London this summer! I want to be famous for being the invincible Chilli Queen!”
How hot could you go on the chilli scale? These were the chillis eaten at the Foodie's Festival challenge:
Padron
Jalapeño
Thai Bird's Eye Chilli
Red Cayenne
Scotch Bonnet
Jamaican Red
Dorset Naga
Seven Pot Habanero
Trinidad Scorpion
Super Hot Naga Viper
Super Hot Dry Ghost Naga
Chocolate Scorpion x 2 (2.2 million Scoville Units)
Tie breaker - Chocolate Scorpion with a spoonful of pure capsaicin Extract (16m scoville Units!)
The Chilli Eating Challenge at the Foodie's Festival was on May 24 and will be back next summer.
