A few thoughts on the lack of Caribbean food in the UK

Having first discovered Caribbean food when I moved up to London for university, it has been a mystery to me ever since why Caribbean food is not more mainstream in the UK.

Whilst jerk chicken and Reggae Reggae sauce have developed some traction, outside of metropolitan areas like London and Birmingham it can be tough to find decent Caribbean food.

Compare this with the diffusion of other ethnic cuisines like Indian and Chinese in the UK: the first Indian restaurant opened in 1809 and almost exactly a century later the first Chinese restaurant around 1908; today the UK takeaway industry – dominated by Indian and Chinese cuisines – is worth an estimated £30 billion.

One of my first observations is that Indian and Chinese diaspora have had considerably more success with opening takeaways and restaurants (over 10,000 in fact) than their West Indian counterparts. These outlets play a key role in creating a demand for that food – enjoying a takeaway curry or Chinese often inspires people to attempt these dishes at home.

A closer look at “Indian” or “Chinese” food consumed by the British reveals that these dishes are often heavily adapted. Take – for example –chicken tikka masala: not only are many Indians vegetarian, but this staple of British-Indian curry houses was in fact invented in Scotland in the 1970s. Likewise “Sweet & Sour” doesn’t scream authenticity, but it is a dish which the British overwhelmingly associate with their experience of Chinese cuisine.

Caribbean food is often carb-heavy, makes use of bones and unusual cuts of meat and certainly doesn’t hold back in its use of hot peppers and chillies. Personally I like my jerk seasoning with plenty of scotch bonnet, and curried goat not on the bone isn’t curried goat, but compared with the adaptation of other cuisines, this is an area in which Caribbean food has lagged (though successful products like Reggae Reggae sauce are notably milder versions of classic staples).

Many of the brands catering to the West Indian market have invested relatively little into expanding the category. Levi Roots and Encona Sauces are market leaders in this regard, but others lag significantly behind. The largest distributor – Grace Foods – have achieved very little breakthrough (though they do own the Encona brand), and challenger Tropical Sun is still heavily favoured by a loyalist West Indian demographic. Brands championing Caribbean food for non-traditional consumer segments are sorely needed.

A further challenge is identifying the right occasion for Caribbean food – one where consumers are open to trying new flavours and formats. As I mentioned before takeaway curries help fuel the demand for at-home cooking sauces, and stir-frys make oriental food an easy to make family meal. What is the equivalent occasion for Caribbean food? Probably not frozen and microwave meals – as Levi Roots learned the hard way when  Tesco de-listed Reggae Reggae ready meals.

So surveying the future of the Caribbean food category (contrasted with the current lack of one), here’s how I see it moving forward:

1. More Caribbean street food, restaurants and takeaways.

When is the last time you tried something new? Whether you’re an early adopter scouring the streetfood scene for the latest cuisines, or you just like to try a new restaurant once in a while the chances are it was somewhere other than home you last discovered a new flavour or dish. These are great channels to fuel the interest in Caribbean food, and build future demand.

2. New brands championing Caribbean food to a wider market.

Plain and simple we need category-building brands to champion Caribbean food to non-traditional consumer segments. Tilda championed basmati rice and brought it into the UK mainstream, Pataks did so with curry pastes – new brands are needed to blaze the trail by championing curried goat, rice & peas and oxtail stews.

3. Greater investment in innovation and new product development.

Expanding the category towards new consumers it would be wise to take their existing taste preferences into account and to some extent to build on these. There are a number of channels and occasions where people are open to experimenting with new flavours, but in order to sustain that interest and move that from a once-in-a-while takeaway to home cooking occasions brands need to invest in category and product innovation.

A final thought to end on… every year around a million people take part in Notting Hill Carnival – one of the biggest celebrations of West Indian culture in the world – how much would the category grow if their interest and enthusiasm was carried across into their weekly shops?