Chilli Fest will be a hotbed of food, shopping, live music and dancing, all set against the backdrop of this Elizabethan house and its world-famous topiary gardens.

There will be a real international flavour to the event with Sri Lankan, Indian, Caribbean, Chilean, Mexican and Italian foods on sale. Some of the best of Cumbria's food producers will turn up the heat for the occasion and provide a fiery twist on their local delicacies with treats such as spicy Levens Morocco Ale and traditionally reared Cumbrian pork sausages with chillies being just two of the themed specialities on offer in honour of the occasion.

The weekend is already attracting chilli aficionados and stall-holders from far and wide and chilli-themed goodies including everything from wines, chocolates and gifts to curries, pickles and powders will be available to buy along with Cumbrian ice cream and frozen yoghurt for those who need to cool off.

Other attractions include salsa music, dancing and children's activities, so there will be something to suit all tastes - Even those with a delicate palate.

Visitors will be treated to cookery demonstrations by local chef Yelly de Jong as an exciting prelude to the launch of her 'Cook In Cumbria' cookery classes later this year. Yelly uses both exotic world cuisines and traditional English dishes in her workshops, providing a real exploration of both foreign and familiar.

Yelly said: "I'm delighted to be involved in Chilli Fest as it provides me with the perfect opportunity to offer visitors a taste of my Cook In Cumbria classes. I use all kinds of influences in my cooking and Chilli Fest will bring a huge range of local and global flavours together, so is an apt and exciting event for me."

The award-winning gardens will be at their very best for visitors to enjoy and green-fingered guests will be able to take a small part of Levens home with them as Head Gardener, Chris Crowder, has been busy growing a wide variety of chilli plants that will be available to buy on the day.

Susie Bagot from Levens Hall said: "The Chilli Fest, a themed event which is new to Cumbria, has received an enthusiastic response from food producers, consumers and entertainers and we are looking forward to hosting a hot and lively weekend for locals and visitors in this beautiful setting."