Motherland
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 ANDRE SIMON BEST COOKBOOK AWARD
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The BBC Radio 4 Food Programme Books of the Year 2022
The Observer New Review Books of the Year 2022
The Telegraph Top Cookbooks of 2022
The Financial Times Top 5 Cookbooks of 2022
The Week Best food books of 2022
Delicious Magazine Best Cook Books of 2022
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'Melissa captures her love of food and its roots deliciously' - Ainsley Harriott
Motherland is a cookbook that charts the history of the people, influences and ingredients that uniquely united to create the wonderful patchwork cuisine that is Jamaican food today.
There are recipes for the classics, like saltfish fritters, curry goat and patties, as well as Melissa’s own twists and family favourites, such as:
Oxtail nuggets with pepper sauce mayo
Ginger beer prawns
Smoky aubergine rundown
Sticky rum and tamarind wings
Grapefruit cassava cake
Guinness punch pie.
Running through the recipes are essays charting the origins and evolution of Jamaica’s famous dishes, from the contribution of indigenous Jamaicans, the Redware and Taíno peoples; the impact of the Spanish and British colonisation; the inspiration and cooking techniques brought from West and Central Africa by enslaved men and women; and the influence of Indian and Chinese indentured workers who came to the island.
Motherland does not shy away from the brutality of the colonial periods, but takes us on a journey through more than 500 years of history to give context to the beloved island and its cuisine.
'Visually stunning with wonderful writing and recipes, it’s a love song to the people, food and history of Jamaica and is sure to be a classic' Sarah Winman
'A masterful work and a must for any lover of the food of Jamaica and the Caribbean region or simply anyone who loves good food' - Dr Jessica B. Harris
Melissa Thompson is an award-winning writer and cook who started a supper club in her front room in 2014. A former feature writer on a national newspaper, in 2015 she left journalism to pursue her love of cooking, with the supper club growing into a sell-out pop out across locations in London.
Born in Dorset to a Jamaican father and Maltese mother, her food has always been an eclectic celebration of cuisines around the world. She is passionate about flavour, provenance and respecting food cultures. As a food writer, she has penned powerful articles on the British food industry that became focal points for important discussions around identity, diversity and inclusivity. She won the Guild of Food Writers’ Food Writing Award in 2021. She has spoken on issues of representation at talks, including regularly chairing panel discussions for the British Library’s food season.
She works as an ambassador for Weber and writes BBQ recipes for magazines, food brands and newspapers. She is a columnist for BBC Good Food magazine and has written articles and recipes for the Guardian, Stylist, Vittles, Waitrose Weekend and Waitrose Magazine.