A cookbook charting 500 years of influence on the vibrant cuisine of Jamaica, written by acclaimed food writer Melissa Thompson. Motherland includes many of the familiar Jamaican dishes we cooked in my family, as well as some of my own recipes, rooted in the island’s ingredients. After all, food is constantly evolving. I like to think these recipes are a good starting point from which to explore, experiment and enjoy. Rice and peas began as a Sunday staple, probably because there was more time to prepare it on the day of rest. The grain was grown by the enslaved people, though a 17th-century record states that its labour-intensity made it “too troublesome for its price, and so neglected by most planters”.

A few years ago, I experimented with browning corn in butter before adding it to fritters. It gives a lovely, subtly toasted corn flavour that reminds me almost of popcorn. Also, the story of how vegan food evolved out of the spirituality of Rastafarianism is fascinating. I think that Jamaican food is under-rated because people don’t understand it. It’s incredibly clever: the layers, the slow cooking, how dishes can have similar core ingredients, but the way they’re prepared makes them totally different.’ Fry the onion in a splash of oil in a frying pan for 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper, yam or pumpkin, tomatoes and thyme, and fry for another 5 minutes, then add the spices and fry until they are aromatic. Pour in the coconut milk and add the bay leaves. Add a splash of water to loosen, put a lid on it and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the pumpkin or yam has softened. Meanwhile, make the pastry. Using your hands, rub the butter and flour together until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar and egg yolk, and then add the measured water a little at a time, until the dough comes together. Don’t knead any more, just wrap in clingfilm or greaseproof paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Commenting on her book, she said: "I’m really chuffed to be publishing Motherland with Rowan and Bloomsbury. Jamaica’s food is so special, born out of a set of very unique circumstances, so it’s been a huge privilege to be able to write this book."Next, she started doing pop-ups, then residences in pubs (sometimes four nights, then seven nights a week for two months). Preheat the oven to 140C fan/gas mark 3. Butter a 20cm tart tin and remove the pastry from the fridge. Dust your worktop with flour and roll out the pastry into a circle roughly 28cm in diameter. Roll the pastry around the rolling pin and unroll over the tart tin. Carefully push the pastry into the edges of the tin and leave the excess rising above the rim. Just before cooking, season the prawns with a good pinch of salt. Holding a prawn by the tail, dip into the batter, then drop into the hot oil. Cook until the batter puffs up, about two minutes. Repeat to cook all the prawns, frying them in small batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.

Motherland is a recipe book, but more than that it is a history of the people, influences and ingredients that uniquely united to create the wonderful patchwork cuisine that is Jamaican food today," writes Melissa Thompson in the introduction to her debut cookbook. Rowan Yapp, publishing director of Bloomsbury’s illustrated list, acquired the debut cookbook from Thompson. World rights were bought from Heather Holden Brown at HHB Agency for publication in autumn 2022. If you like custard tarts, you will love this. I first had the idea for it a few years ago, while drinking some Guinness punch and wondering if it would translate into dessert form. The answer was a resounding yes. You can adjust the intensity of the Guinness flavour by using slightly less or more. And if you don’t drink alcohol you can use 0% Guinness: it works, I’ve tried. Toast the sweetcorn in a dry pan for a few minutes over a medium heat, then add the butter. Fry the sweetcorn until the kernels start to brown and the butter begins to smell nutty. Remove from the heat. Bring to the boil, put a lid on and reduce the heat to a minimum. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn the heat off. Use a fork to fluff the rice up, remove the thyme sprigs if you want and the whole Scotch bonnet, if used, then clamp on the lid to continue steaming for 10 minutes before serving.

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Pour oil into a medium-sized saucepan, following all the usual precautions for deep-frying and heating to 180C. As a teenager, Thompson worked at The Fridge, a deli in Dorchester, where she developed further respect for food production. ‘All that goes into making things like bacon, brawn, paté and cheese. The roughness of the skin, its saltiness; I grew to understand why certain cheeses had strong flavours or mould running through them.’ Surely that’s a seal of approval. And Melissa’s debut cookbook has been well received elsewhere too, named as one of BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme Books of the Year 2022, and in the top cookbooks for The Telegraph, Financial Times and The Observer. So, what’s next? ‘Well, I’m in talks about doing a television series. And I could maybe see myself writing more history books. Or cookery books. I’m just not sure I’d combine the two again!’ Bloomsbury has signed debut cookbook Motherland, fromjournalist and founder of London pop-up Fowl Mouths Food Melissa Thompson. The daughter of a Maltese mother and Jamaican father, Thompson wanted Motherland to reflect her own family’s cooking, but also tell the story of Jamaican food. “The indigenous people never had a written language,” she says. The enslaved people who came later weren’t permitted to write. When researching, she had to interpret historical texts written from a white European perspective.

Through both the recipes and informative essays, Melissa Thompson relates the history of Jamaica and the wider CaribbeanShrimp,’ as they are called on the island, have been a mainstay of the Jamaican diet since our knowledge of human history there begins. They were eaten by the indigenous Jamaicans; the Taíno are recorded to have fed Columbus a meal that included them. The sea and rivers remain a source of the crustaceans to this day. Guinness Punch Pie: If you like custard tarts, you will love this. I first had the idea for it a few years ago, while drinking some Guinness punch and wondering if it would translate into dessert form. The answer was a resounding yes. The flavours work really well in a tart, you can adjust the intensity of the Guinness flavour by using slightly less or more. And if you don’t drink alcohol, you can use 0% Guinness: it works, I’ve tried. Looking to add some Caribbean flair to your culinary adventures? Discover the ultimate collection of Jamaican cookbooks and recipe books. Say goodbye to bland meals and spice up your kitchen with these flavorful treasures. Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture and rich traditions of Jamaica as you explore the tantalizing recipes and mouthwatering dishes. Get ready to embark on a culinary journey that will transport your taste buds to the sunny shores of Jamaica. Get your apron ready and let’s dive into the world of Jamaican cuisine! Top 8 Jamaican Cookbooks