16.3.20 – We’re now dangerously close to LOCKDOWN. Bernhard & I had just returned from a week’s holiday in Israel, to celebrate our 40th birthdays (we very nearly share the birth date; Oh, the cheese!). All over Europe borders were shutting down and flights cancelled – we were incredibly lucky to have had our (really awesome) holiday, and make it back without trouble. 

Bernhard hosted J dinner with a rich, hot Jamaican cuisine. 

He scoured authentic home-made Jerk Marinade from a Jamaican friend, as well as tips, for a really excellent, fiery meal! And we listne to, of course, the awesome Bob Marley.

Starter: Mango Salsa  – more like a salad, really – spicy, sweet and fresh:

Hot Scotch Bonnet Mango Salsa
  • Mango Salsa

Main: Grilled Jerk Chicken Skewers

Chicken breast pieces, marinated in spicy jerk marinade for 24h and grilled just before serving. The marinade was made by Jamaican friend – who would not divulge the recipe! Sorry… This, however, is a recipe I found online and like the sound of. (untested by us).

That marinade had a proper kick, and when Bernhard was grilling the skewers the fumes wafted around his flat making Lianne, Dorotta, and I tear and cough – the last thing you want at the onset of a flu-like pandemic! But I’m sure all that chilli and garlic kicked those viruses’ asses 🙂 

Rice and Peas – coz you can’t have a Jamaicam meal without it:

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/jamaican-rice-and-peas

Dessert: Banana Fritters

https://www.myforkinglife.com/banana-fritters/

These fritters are amazing, and became a staple of our weekend breakfasts (I love them with whipped cream, as do Bernhard’s boys; he himself prefers maple syrup). My recommendation with this recipe is to leave the brown sugar out; the bananas are pretty sweet already and after making them several times during lockdown, we have a simple version of the recipe here:

Naturally, as well as wine we drank Rum & Coke – another well-known Imune Booster! But still, it looks like we’ll have to take a break while Britain, now joining the rest of Europe, hunkers down at home in a bid to stop the spread of the Corona virus.