Wendy Richard's Chili Recipe - the Best Chili Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ready for the BEST CHILI you've ever had? Only made this because I am a HUGE fan of Wendy Richard (MBE) who played "Miss Brahms" on "Are You Being Served" and she also played Pauline Fowler on "EastEnders". She recently passed away and printed her famous chili recipe on the back of her funeral program. (You can see a photo of that in here! Check out the photos for this recipe) I've had chili all over Texas and the South - I even made both recipes from "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" (both were VERY good) but I will tell you - hands down - THIS WOMAN'S RECIPE IS THE BEST CHILI I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY WHOLE LIFE! And when I say "THE BEST" I mean: "I am SO STUFFED I might explode - but I can't STOP eating this chili because it tastes so AMAZING". Ok? I tried to put it in the freezer - and ended up taking it out 10 minutes later and eating it again. Today I had it for breakfast on eggs, and lunch and dinner! Can't wait to have more tomorrow! I'm NOT sharing this batch with ANYONE! But I will share the recipe! VERY URGENT/IMPORTANT: THE WHOLE SECRET OF THE RECIPE IS IN THE SCHWARTZ BRAND CHILI MIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Use any other brand and it will only be a 2-3 star recipe! If you are in the USA the "Schwartz" brand chili mix in this recipe can be ordered online from www.Distantbrits.co.uk or any other British food sites. PLEASE ONLY use "Schwartz" brand if you want this to come out a 5 STAR recipe- if you use any other brand, like "El Paso", "Chichi's" "Ortega" or "McCormicks" it will be disappointing because those 4 brands I just named are nothing but salt and chemicals with very little spices. I HAVE MADE THIS RECIPE WITH THOSE 4 OTHER BRANDS, JUST TO COMPARE -WHICH IS HOW I KNOW, IF YOU USE ANYTHING BUT SCHWARTZ - IT'S GOING TO BE A DISAPPOINTMENT. PLEASE TRUST ME - IT'S SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WORTH IT TO SEND AWAY FOR THE SCHWARTZ BRAND, YOU CAN GET THE SCHWARTZ CHILI MIX IN 2 DIFFERENT HEATS: MEDIUM/MILD AND HOT. I PROMISE YOU - IF YOU ORDER THE SCHWARTZ AND DON'T THINK THIS WAS A 5 STAR CHILI - SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I'LL PAY YOU BACK FOR THE COST OF BUYING THE SCHWARTZ. OK? If you can't find the British "Schwartz" brand, send the lady at distantbrits.co.uk an email requesting it. Tell her which kind of heat you want., "McCormicks" brand in the USA is very disappointing - even the "hot", it's not spicy and the taste really is missing something important. I even tried adding more cumin, and fresh Jalepeno's but McCormicks - it's just NOT AS GOOD as Schwartz, so - if using McCormick's- please know - you've been forwarned: it's not going to be a 5 star chili. If you're in the UK - you should have no problem finding this product. ALSO - careful when ordered because the recipe calls for 4 Schwartz chili. That means chili MIX - NOT 4 bottles of chili powder!!!! (I say be careful because Schwartz also makes chili powder, and you don't need 4 bottles of chili POWDER for this LOL!) I used the HOT Chili Mix, but Wendy specifed "Mild". Get whatever heat you are comfortable with. Be FOREWARNED: If ordering the "Hot" - just because it's from England doesn't mean it's not as hot as you think. While it is the most delish chili mix, It is 5 ALARM Texas hot!!!!! And this is coming from a gal who drinks "Franks Red Hot" straight out of the bottle whenever I have a craving! The mild is "mild" and also extremely delish. Menier's Chocolate is VERY hard to find if you live in the USA. I could only find 1 place online that sells it (Distantbrits.co.uk) Otherwise, use a VERY DARK (Swiss is preffered). When you open the Menier - the actual chocolate says "Nestle", so I guess you could get bittersweet or semi-sweet Nestle. Just don't use Hershey (ugh!) When it smells ready - eat it. You don't HAVE to simmer for 3 hours, as directed by Wendy. (Personally, I couldn't wait that long, it smelled too good) It even tastes amazing room temp hours later! I promise you - if you make this recipe EXACTLY as is - with NO SUBSTITUTIONS ON THE CHILI MIX (you CAN make substitutions on the chocolate)- Your tastebuds will think you've died and gone to heaven. I can see why Wendy would leave such a fantastic Chili recipe on the back of her funeral program - people were probably begging her for years for this recipe. When I make this for the next Texas chili cook-off - this WILL win 1st place - and I will give Wendy Richard all the credit since it is her recipe. Huh! Who'd have thunk the best recipe for Chili would come from ENGLAND!?????!!!!!! R.I.P. Wendy - and I thank YOU for all the years you've made me laugh and cry and for the gift of this AMAZING Chili recipe! I will be entering it into contests in your memory! I also hope all the people here will make this and enjoy it and it becomes a family favorite!

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 20

Ingredients

• 3  lbs lean ground beef
• 4  mild  chili, mix (4 envelopes of "Schwartz" mild chilli mix sold at distantbrits.co.uk,)
• 1  lb mushroom, chopped
• 2 (4 ounce) jars  sweet pimiento (1 tin if you're in the U.K.)
• 3  tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
• 1  tablespoon  coriander
• 3 (14 ounce) cans red kidney beans
•  tomato paste
• 3  chicken bouillon cubes
• 1  lb onion, chopped
• 4  garlic cloves
•  tarragon vinegar (1/4 bottle)
• 1  tablespoon cumin
• 1  tablespoon oregano
• 3 (14 ounce) cans tomatoes
• 50  g  bar of menier's baking chocolate (also sold at Distantbrits.co.uk -green wrapper - 50g is 1/2 a bar, the whole bar is 100g. Just eat t)

Directions

1. From Wendy Richard herself:
2. Fry onions in little olive oil with crushed garlic.
3. Add meat together with all seasonings.
4. Add rest of veg, together with made-up chicken stock. (there should be enough to cover).
5. Add chocolate and tomato paste.
6. Gently simmer for about three hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Serve with boiled rice or pasta.
8. Grated cheese is also a good addition, sprinkled over the top.
9. The dish freezes well & gains in strength of flavour.
10. I Thank You W.R. (MBE).
11. Here is the link to the touching tribute to Wendy in the "Guardian" along with a copy of this recipe: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/mar/10/wendy-richards-chilli-recipe.