Cottage Pie

Like its cousin, shepherd's pie, this is a simple, hearty dish combining meat and mashed potatoes. The 2 names are interchangeable, but for traditionalists, shepherd's pie uses lamb meat while cottage pie uses beef. This dish was originally a peasant dish from the UK, and would use left over meat and potatoes from the Sunday roast. These days minced beef is more commonly used.

The beauty of this dish is its simplicity. There are just a few ingredients and the cooking method is very simple.

Jerk Chicken

What springs to mind when you think of Jamaica ? Sun? Beaches? Reggae? Bob Marley?!?!?

Maybe its just my foody mind at work, but I think of Jerk chicken, possibly the ultimate summer barbecue recipe! Jerk marinade can be used for any type of meat or fish but is particularly tasty with chicken legs and pork ribs.

The key ingredients to jerk chicken are allspice or pimento berries, thyme and scotch bonnet peppers. Everything else is supplementary but these 3 ingredients are unmissable. If you don't use them you may still have some delicious barbecued chicken but it won't be jerk chicken!

Caribbean Barbecue Sauce

This spicy and tangy sauce is perfect with barbecued spare ribs and chicken thighs, but can also be eaten as an alternative to ketchup on burgers, or even with french fries. The rum gives it that Caribbean zing. It reminds me of Notting Hill Carnival in London and Zomercarnaval in Rotterdam, where the stands cooking ribs and chicken in oil drum barbecues line the streets.