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Biquinho — The Surprise Winner. A Little Tropical Sweetness | 9/10

Biquinhos are lovely little Brazilian chillies, instantly recognisable by their tiny, pointed beaks. Both the red and yellow varieties are wonderfully productive, with a gentle heat and an unusually sweet, fruity flavour. They're the sort of chilli you can eat whole without worrying too much about what happens next.

I often think of them as little flavour bombs rather than conventional chillies. They have much of that lovely aromatic character you associate with hotter varieties, but without the accompanying punishment. They're particularly good pickled, so I was curious to see what would happen when they were cooked straight onto a pizza.

I scattered a mixture of red and yellow Biquinhos over one half, simply sliced in two. For me, these were the clear winners. They delivered wonderful little bursts of tropical fruitiness that made the whole pizza taste more interesting. Rather than being just another topping, the chillies became the main event.

And because they're not particularly hot, even the heat-averse members of the family thoroughly enjoyed them. Sweet, fruity, colourful and absolutely delicious.

Raging Bull — A Little Too Enraged. Tropical Fruit Meets Habanero Heat | 7/10

Raging Bull is a cross between Biquinho and Habanero, combining much of Biquinho's tropical fruitiness with a considerably more serious level of heat. It's generally milder than a full-blown Habanero, but there's certainly nothing timid about it. The red pods look inviting, which can be misleading.

I used Raging Bulls on quite a few pizzas last year and they were absolutely delicious, so I had high hopes. As before, I cut the pods in half and scattered them over the pizza. Unfortunately, this year's Bulls were particularly angry.

The extreme heat we've had this summer, combined with plants occasionally drying out, may have contributed to some of my chillies being hotter than usual. And these certainly seemed to be.

The flavour was lovely, but the heat rather took over, turning what should have been a pleasurable experience into something of an endurance test. We did manage to finish our portions, but with rather more concentration than dinner normally requires.

Lesson learnt. Next time I'll slice them into thin rings and spread them more evenly. There's a wonderful pizza chilli in there — it just needs a little restraint.

Jamaican Hot Yellow. Fruity, Aromatic and Just the Right Heat | 8/10

Jamaican Hot Yellow is a lovely, bonnet-shaped chilli with deeply crumpled, golden-yellow pods. Despite its Scotch Bonnet appearance, it's actually a Capsicum annuum, with a fruity, aromatic flavour and a pleasant but noticeable heat. It's a variety that deserves more attention than it gets.

When I was choosing chillies for the experiment, I remembered how good pepperoncini can be on pizza. Unfortunately, I hadn't grown any this year. But I did have plenty of Jamaican Hot Yellows, so I thought I'd give them a go.

I'm rather fond of yellow chillies. They sometimes get overlooked in favour of their red relatives, which is a shame because I often find them fruitier and more aromatic. They also look fantastic against the red tomato sauce, particularly once the cheese starts to bubble.

I sliced the pods crossways, creating lovely little crumpled golden rings, and scattered them over the pizza. They looked wonderful, softened nicely in the oven and delivered just the right combination of fruity flavour and heat.

Nothing too aggressive, but certainly enough to notice. A very worthy pizza chilli, and one I'll be using again.