6 August 2025 - Written By
I had the absolute honour of hosting the League of Fire’s very first Ipswich Belt Match this Saturday at the inaugural Chilli Fest Suffolk – and honestly, I don’t even know where to begin.
From the moment we walked through the gates to the moment we left, I was filled with beautiful memories. The entire day was packed with incredible energy, warmth, and kindness – from the organisers and venue hosts to the crowd itself. The hospitality from the local Suffolk community was just surreal. They welcomed us with open arms not only us coming from London – but also the Hungarian Champion, Janos Jakab, who flew in especially for this match.
And wow, did the locals show him love. Janos might have arrived a stranger, but he left as a bit of a local hero. People cheered for him during the contest, came up for selfies afterwards, and even some local Hungarians in the area came out to support him, despite never having met him before. One of the live bands even invited him on stage after his win – it was such a beautiful display of warmth and unity.
Janos may have walked away with the title belt, but not without a serious battle. Two local first-time competitors, Solomon Holmes and Matty Tooke, pushed him right to the edge. Solomon refused to quit – it was like a boxing knockout round, except the punches came from peppers! His body finally gave out and rejected the heat, but he never tapped. Meanwhile, Matty made it all the way to the Death Race finale – an absolute warrior. The crowd was on fire (not literally, thankfully) and the atmosphere was electric with excitement.
It was also amazing to welcome back Billy McBlane, who came all the way from Newark with his dad and daughter – so great to see them again.
Something else truly unexpected happened. The parents of one of my best friends from my university days – Sophie’s mum and dad saw in the Ipswich Star that I was going to be there and they came to surprise me. I hadn’t seen them in over ten years. I honestly felt so emotional, and probably would’ve cried if I wasn’t worried about my mascara running and looking like a panda.
From the musicians and the ever-charming stage host Ben of Chameleon Karaoke & Ben Matthews Rock Vocalist (who kept the crowd buzzing), to the delicious Indian, Mexican and Caribbean food stalls (which completely sold out), to the hot sauce stall WillBHOT – everything was just perfect. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling, kids were playing, the sun was shining, and the vibes were simply unmatched.
Suffolk, you have my heart. What a warm, welcoming festival and town – I already can’t wait to come back.
After the festival, we decided to treat Janos to a little post-contest adventure by taking him to the beautiful seaside town of Aldeburgh – famous for its legendary fish and chips. The queue was out the door and round the corner (always a good sign!), so we patiently waited, grabbed our food, and headed down to the beach.
Just as we were about to tuck in, we heard Janos shout something, and the next thing we knew – he was stripping off and sprinting straight into the North Sea! At first, we thought he was just trying to cool off after all those fiery peppers, which would’ve made perfect sense… but later, he told us that it was actually the first time in his life that he had ever seen the sea, let alone been in it.
It was such a pure and joyful moment. We stood there smiling (and slightly stunned), fish and chips in hand, watching our newly crowned chilli champ take his first ever dip in the ocean. A perfect way to round off a truly unforgettable day. That night, we dropped him at Stansted for his flight back home – full of memories, fish and chips, and a little bit of North Sea magic.
PS – I also had a personal first… I’ve never had a seagull come so close to me in my life! Granted, I’m pretty sure it was more interested in my fish & chips than my alluring personality… 😂