(London, 21 September 2010) Infusing London’s Vinopolis with the scents and tastes of the Caribbean this Saturday afternoon, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s second rum and rhythm afternoon will be headlined by celebrity Caribbean chef Barrington Douglas.
Visitors to the four-hour event will be able to watch Douglas, who has prepared Caribbean food for the Queen and appeared on television regularly over the past year, cooking live with his team of four chefs and six waitresses, brought down from the restaurateur’s award-winning West Yorkshire restaurant Discovery Bay. The 43-year-old, whose mantra is to “bring Caribbean food to the masses”, will be familiar to guests at the event following his appearance as sous chef in UKTV Food’s April 2009 series “Rhodes Across The Caribbean” and more recently from his victory in Channel 4’s “Gordon Ramsay’s F Word”.
The self-taught chef, who beat 18 other cooks to secure title of “Best Local Restaurant” in the F Word, will spend Saturday dishing up the whole spectrum of West Indian epicurean delights, from his signature rum pork dish through to pepper steak, white and brown Caribbean crab cakes, “trini” prawn curry, king scallops, tropical pineapple salad and the much loved curried goat and rice and peas.
Commenting on his involvement in the event, Barrington Douglas said, “I have always striven to spread a love of Caribbean food and to educate food-lovers in this country on how to prepare and enjoy it, so the prospect of showcasing the region’s diverse cuisine to hundreds of Londoners is exhilarating. I’m hoping to infuse the guests at the event with the same excitement and interest in Caribbean food that I experienced when watching my mother and grandmother cooking.
“I’m looking forward to watching the guests taste and enjoy the range of creations I’ll be cooking up and also talking to them about how easy it to replicate the range of tastes and textures that make Caribbean cooking what it is, substituting unusual Caribbean ingredients for easily accessible British alternatives. Vinopolis will truly be an oasis of Caribbean flavours this Saturday.”
The afternoon will also offer the opportunity for guests to learn the art of mixology first-hand from Ian Burrell, the UK’s rum ambassador and the man behind London’s annual Rumfest.
Available at www.vinopolis.co.uk/rum_rhythm as well as from the CTO, tickets cost from £24 per person in advance or £28 on the door (one child under 12 years admitted free of charge per ticket-holding adult, children aged 12 to 18 years £10 with proof of age), entitling entrants to sample Caribbean dishes and drinks and leave with a Caribbean goody bag.
• WHAT: CTO, Sandals, British Airways and Aruba consumer event showcasing
Caribbean rum and music
• WHERE: Vinopolis, No.1 Bank End, London SE1 9BU (here http://bit.ly/cto-rum)
• WHEN: Saturday 25 September 2010, between 16.00 and 20.00
• WHO: The Caribbean Tourism Organisation; open to everyone
• HOW AND HOW MUCH: Tickets at www.vinopolis.co.uk/rum_rhythm or from the CTO on 020 8948 0057. £24 in advance, or £28 on the door
BARRINGTON’S TOP TIPS FOR PREPARING CARIBBEAN FOOD IN BRITAIN
• Find the basic ingredients and then experiment with substitutes where necessary (eg carrot for christophine);
• Watch the food extremely carefully whilst preparing it. Caribbean food is based on a delicate balance of tastes and can easily be overcooked;
• Don’t over-spice the food. Caribbean food should be flavoursome but not necessarily fiery.
Sandals and Beaches Resorts, British Airways and Aruba will be sponsoring the event. For more information visit the CTO website and to buy tickets call the CTO London team on 020 8948 0057.
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Barbados News