By John Chinode
Caribbean restaurants in Islington have been serving a feast of different Caribbean foods since the early 1980s. The Borough of Highbury and Islington have one of the largest African Caribbean community in the UK.
When the West Indian immigrants came to the UK in the 1960s, one thing they did not forget to bring with them was Reggae music – and food.
Janet Barnes, who owns Aunty’s Kitchen on Hornsey Road near Holloway Tube station, has been running her restaurant for over ten years. The Restaurant serves a variety of different Caribbean foods from Curry Goat, Bran stew, patties and fried dumplings – all cooked with Caribbean spices.
Business is good, she says – most of the time. “The restaurant has been serving the community of Islington for a long time and business can sometimes be slow, especially when university students go on their summer holiday.” She adds that match days are busy times, as the food doesn’t have a huge English clientele outside of those times.
Banker Anita Taylor, 42, said, “Nothing beats a Caribbean meal. I love Jamaican food the smell of curry goat is lovely and it has an authentic taste. I will not let a week pass by without having a bite of Jamaican food.”
Caribbean food has taken a long time to get into mainstream, according to Sam Hamilton, 66, a pensioner living in Seven Sisters. Sam said, “When I was a kid growing up in Brixton food was the only thing that gave us a sense of being Caribbean and we didn’t have many Caribbean restaurants in London like today. In the 1970s Caribbean takeaways was where we would meet for food and a chat on how to empower the black community.”
Caribbean takeaways are becoming popular in the UK as the food is a combination of European, African, and Asian influence.
Islington is experiencing a new boom in Caribbean cuisines which shows the Caribbean is not just about the Carnival and Reggae but also the food. Bon appetit!
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