Wilfred serves up his favourite Caribbean foods

Wilfred serves up his favourite Caribbean foods

Hello, everyone.

When I first started this blog, I promised that it would be a place to help you get to know me a little better, and it’s a promise I intend to keep! From talking about my health to my dyslexia and my love of Morris dancing, I’ve shared a lot over the last couple of months, and your feedback has been fantastic – so keep it coming.

Let me tell you about my favourite food.

After all, the stomach is the way to one’s heart, and I’m no exception! In fact, my love of food is one of the main reasons I wanted to become a farmer in the first place, I was inspired by the evocative smells of my mother’s cooking from my childhood wafting out from the kitchen in our small house in inner-city Birmingham.

Wilfred sorting fruits in a market setting with a thatched roof

From Jamaica to Great Britain

Born in Jamaica, I naturally love the exotic cuisines of my native Caribbean island, filled with taste, colour and texture. It was one of the things I missed most about home when I arrived in Britain as part of the Windrush generation back in the 60s. After all, food is so intrinsically linked with identity and heritage, that it was something I didn’t want to forget or lose. Luckily, neither did my mother, and so she continued to serve up Jamaican fare to our family while we all discovered British foods.

ackee-fruits.jpg

Jamaican Delights

Today, I’m proud to offer a selection of Jamaican products and recipes at The Black Farmer, and everything is what my family and I use and cook in our own home.

Goat curry is one of my all-time favourites – chunky pieces of meat slowly simmered in an aromatic blend of spices – as is rice and peas: a Jamaican staple traditionally served alongside jerk chicken that’s just as good as a snack on its own!

But the absolute best? Ackee: a vegetable that’s deliciously smooth and melt-in-your-melt when it’s cooked! As a national dish, it’s loaded with fibre, protein and vitamin C, as well as being pocket-friendly, too. Team it with saltfish for a taste sensation

Here, you can browse the best Caribbean products to help you recreate some of my favourites.