On a cold grey rainy day in February, what could be better than a lunch that packs a bit of a punch?

With this in mind, Mary Barnett, the head chef at the South Devon Chilli Farm, has agreed to share some of her recipes with us, using chillies grown on this very special little farm in the South Hams.

"The key is not to go too mad with the heat," says Mary. "Use just enough to give the dish a bit of a spark."

Mary, who runs the smart new cafe at South Devon Chilli Farm, is certainly spoilt for choice when she chooses which chillies to use. The farm grows 10,000 chilli plants every year, showcasing 35 varieties of this hot-to-trot Central American spice.

There's everything from Aji Amarillo, a medium-fruity yellow chilli to orange Paper Lantern chillies, which are really rather hot. Then there is the grandaddy of them all, the Bhut Jolokia chilli, so strong that it scores more than 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale of heat – compared to 6,000, say for a more modest Jalapeno pepper. "A packet of our dried Bhut Jolokia will last a very, very long time," says Mary.

But whichever you choose, you won't go wrong with South Devon Chillies. TV chef Jamie Oliver himself is a fan, saying: "As you know I am a chilli freak and these guys grow the best in the country".

The farm began back in 2003, launched by friends Steve Waters and Jason Nickels. Both were working locally in computing at the time. Within a year they had given up their desk jobs to cultivate chillies full-time. Now the business, still run by Steve and Jason, employs ten people and sells everything from chilli chocolate to chilli-growing kits nationwide.

It is still very much a small, friendly farm, though, tucked away on a pretty hillside near Loddiswell. Here, you can walk round the chilli plants in their protective poly tunnels. You can also tuck in to all manner of good things to eat in the cafe. "We have to balance the menu very carefully," says Mary. "There are people who are only visiting the once and want to eat something really hot. But we also cater for regular local visitors and people with children, so not everything is extra-spicy." Indeed, I can vouch that all these recipes are just hot enough to be warming and, what's more, extremely tasty too. For more information, visit the South Devon Chilli Farm website at www.sdcf.co.uk.

The marinade can be made two to three days in advance

Enough skinless chicken breasts to feed your guests

60g butter

lemon wedges on the table

For the marinade:

200ml lemon juice

200ml rapeseed oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

10 dried Piri Piri chillies, de-stalked and crushed

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks and place in a large bowl. Pour over the marinade and turn pieces to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to a day, turning chicken occasionally.

With tongs, lift chicken pieces from marinade, drain well, and stir fry in a little oil, turning occasionally until browned and the meat is no longer pink (cut to test). As pieces are done, transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Pour remaining marinade into a pan over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Add butter and stir until melted, turn heat to low and stir occasionally until ready to serve. Pour sauce into a small bowl or pitcher. Garnish chicken with lemon wedges and serve with the sauce.

Serves 4

juice of ½ lime

250g cottage cheese

1 each yellow and red pepper finely chopped

1 teaspoon Ancho Poblano powder (or other mild chilli powder)

½ bunch coriander – leaves only

120g Cheddar, grated

4 flour tortillas

salt and pepper to season

For the pineapple salsa:

olive oil

½ tsp black mustard seeds

1-2 crushed Piquin or other small dried chillies

227g tinned pineapple rings in juice

½ lime

For the guacamole:

2 ripe avocados, halved & stoned

½ bunch of coriander, leaves only.

½ red onion, finely grated

½ tsp Guajillo chilli powder (or other medium chilli)

juice of 2 limes

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped.

Making the salsa: Heat some oil in a small frying pan – medium heat. Add mustard seeds and chilli. When you can smell these cooking, add the pineapple, pineapple juice and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for five minutes until thick, squeeze in the ½ lime and put in a serving bowl.

Making the guacamole: In bowl, add the avocados, coriander, onion, chilli and lime juice, salt and pepper to season, tomatoes. Mix with a potato masher, place in serving dish.

Making the quesadillas: In a bowl, mix the lime juice and a little salt and pepper into the cottage cheese. Mix in the peppers, chilli, coriander and cheddar. Scatter mix over two tortillas, top with other tortillas to make a sandwich. Cook in a hot dry frying pan until golden brown on both sides. Cut into quarters and serve with side dishes.

Serves 4

2 large tomatoes

sea salt and black pepper

½ teaspoon Guajillo chilli powder (or other medium chilli powder)

drizzle of olive oil

300g cooking chorizo

4 ciabatta rolls

1 tbsp of chorizo-flavoured oil

8 tbsp of refried beans (from tin or home made)

1 avocado, mashed with juice of ½ lime

½ red onion sliced thinly

1 baby gem lettuce

4 tbsp of Chipotle mayonnaise (see recipe below)

Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper, chilli powder and a drizzle of olive oil. Slice chorizo and fry for a few minutes, set aside.

Cut rolls and brush insides with the chorizo-flavoured oil, toast on a grill. Spread one side of the rolls with refried beans, then add avocado, red onion, tomato, chorizo and lettuce. Spread the other half with mayonnaise and assemble.

To make the Chipotle mayonnaise, mix a tsp Chipotle powder or a tbsp Chipotle sauce with three tbsp mayonnaise. Add a dash of mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper, a little lime juice and zest and half a clove of crushed garlic.

Makes six small tarts or one nine-inch tart

350g sweet pastry

100g chopped hazelnuts

50g honey

300ml double cream

2tsp sugar

100g original chilli chocolate

100g extreme chilli chocolate

50g butter

50ml milk

Line tart tins with pastry, cover with baking paper and weigh down with baking beans. Chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F, gas mark 4). Blind bake tarts for ten to 12 minutes, remove beans and paper, cook for ten minutes, then cool.

Mix nuts with honey. Spread hazelnut mix over the base of tart cases. Heat cream and sugar in a pan until steaming. Remove from the heat and mix in chocolate and butter. Stir until glossy. Stir in milk, pour into pastry cases and allow to cool at room temperature for about two hours.