With the mercury hitting 34 on the hottest day of the year so far, I wilted out of the office in a state of near melt-down.  Desperately seeking shady trees and wide, open spaces, I headed straight for the sanctuary of the world’s most famous botanical gardens to experience Spicy Lates – part of Kew’s Full of Spice Festival. Exploring the origins of our favourite seasonings, the festival takes you on a fascinating journey from distant lands to our dinner table today. Departing the tube inferno, I made straight for the giant inflatable chilli pepper.

Office Breaks Spicy Lates

Offering a more laid-back, low-key vibe than other summer festivals such as Taste of London and London Zoo’s Sunset Safari, the Spicy Lates attractions blend seamlessly into the magnificent back-drop of imposing hot houses, ornamental lakes and manicured rose gardens.

Office Breaks Roses, Kew Gardens

Heading first to the lush vegetation of the Palm House, dinky cupboards filled with spice treasure galore suddenly pop up beneath luxurious palms.  In addition to the ubiquitous spice jars, each cabinet provides fascinating facts on individual spices.  Who knew that turmeric could be a future cure for dementia or that nutmeg led to unimaginable atrocities in the Banda islands?  In addition to the traditional store cupboard staples, the spice trail also includes lesser known mortals such as Chinese Keys – a relative of the Ginger family, frequently used in South-East Asian cooking.

Office Breaks Spicy Lates cabinets

Feeling peckish, I amble over to the food zone which offers a limited but intriguing selection of crepes, hot dogs, spicy Caribbean street food, ice cream and giant marshmallows ripe for melting over a smoking furnace.  On-trend with the spice theme are the summer beverages which include cardamom and coriander gin cocktails and the most mind-blowing spiced Bloody Mary.

Office Breaks inflatable spice zone, Spicy Lates

Relaxing with gin cocktail in hand, amidst giant inflatable garlic bulbs and peppers, I feel myself cooling down as the heat of the day slowly subsides. Refreshed and invigorated, I head to the Spice Exchange, (clad entirely in dazzling spice jars) to catch the tail end of a talk from one of the garden’s resident scientists. Questions are fired from all directions and range from: how long can I keep spices in a jar? – one year maximum – to the more audacious: have you handled any illegal substances?  – they were once asked by a food retailer to test a batch of sell-out Ginkgo Biloba only to find it was laced with Marijuana.

Entering the Princess of Wales Conservatory, the gentle sways of smooth jazz lulls me into a state of sub-tropical torpor as I wander through ten climactic zones, taking in opulent orchid displays, steamy rain forests through to the dry heat of the desert zone. More spices pop up here including a special guest appearance from capers which are in fact unopened flower buds – used to spice up meals in Syria as far back as 10,000 years ago.

Office Breaks Spicy Lates Cacti

Also, worth a look is the Spice Mix Super Computer where you can combine your favourite spices in the Olfactory Synthesizer to create one of 10,000 unique spice variations, a sample of which is presented to you to take home.  Active types can take part in 20 minute starter Tai Chi classes or you can embrace your inner child with a spot of colouring on the spice-inspired frieze in the Nash Conservatory.

Office Breaks Spicy Lates roving rickshaw

After all that activity, you can end the evening with a relaxing ride on the roving rickshaw (advanced booking required), where further mysteries of the spice world are revealed.  Close your eyes and you can almost imagine yourself deep in the plantations of Zanzibar.

Office Breaks Spicy Lates Palm House

As the sun sets over the Palm House, I reluctantly leave Spicy Lates behind and head back to the tube inferno only to find a signal failure has left me marooned in South West London. Where’s a roving rickshaw when you need one?

The Spicy Lates evenings have now finished but the Full of Spice Festival continues until the 6 September 2015.
The Full of Spice Festival is included in the general admission ticket to Kew Gardens: Adult: £14.00
Rickshaw rides cost £8.50 and last 20 minutes – they need to be reserved at the time of booking.