For this reason, I took two guests, and both were very happy with the balance of flavour and spice. In Jamaica, jerked meat is marinated for hours in spices, then slowly cooked over low heat in an outdoor pit. I suspect Nicholas has a shortcut to his jerk chicken recipe, but the result is as good as you'll find at numerous jerk stands lining Jamaica's tourist towns. There was also a dish that I think was kingfish, covered with steamed onions and sweet peppers. I found it dry and salty, so I left it to one side.
Caribbean cooking offers some deliciously different vegetarian dishes, too.
My favourite, steamed calaloo, combines leafy greens with sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes and spices. Other meatless options were rice and peas, steamed rice and fried plantain. Rainbow is becoming known for some of this area's finest Jamaican patties. The thin, half-moon pies are direct but spicier descendants of the British beef pastie. So, bring on the cold and snow, but put a little spice in your life.