By Ian Morris:
Caribbean food fans in Hereford no longer need to travel to Gloucester, Birmingham or Bristol to eat their favourite West Indian meals.
That is because Lamin Kongira and Nick Caton have opened Jerk Bay inside The Victory pub on St Owen Street.
Traditional favourites such as curry goat, jerk chicken and brown stew pork are on the menu which has already proven popular.
“We completely sold out on our first night within three hours,” said Nick.
“It has been great to see the response from the people of Hereford.”
There’s also plenty of choice for vegans and vegetarians. Callaloo and a chickpea and spinach curry are available as well as sides including plantain, festival and sweet potato fries.
Lamin had harboured hopes of selling Caribbean food ever since he moved to Hereford and discovered there was a lack of West Indian meals in the city.
His dream became a reality when he and Nick spoke to Craig Price, the landlord of the Victory, about their plan to open a kitchen on an industrial estate from where they could sell takeaway food.
“Craig said why don’t you use the kitchen in the pub instead,” explained Nick.
“And then cook and sell your food from there.”
That is exactly what has happened and – from Wednesday to Saturday – people can eat their food inside the pub or order a takeaway via Jerk Bay’s social media pages or from sites like Deliveroo.
“It works really well and some people like to just eat inside the pub with a drink from the bar while others take their food home,” said Lamin.
Other Herefordshire partnerships have also formed. The goat meat comes from a farmer in Madley while fresh ingredients such as plantain and scotch bonnet peppers are bought from Cherries & Berries in High Town.
Nick says they want to ‘challenge people’s palates’ and they do this by marinating their food for days before it is cooked.
Their ultimate ambition is to open their own restaurant in Hereford and grow the menu by adding West African dishes.
But, for now, they are happy growing their customer base from the Victory.
Lamin said he has been amazed to see that some customers have travelled in from places as far away as Worcester.
But, as one of those who previously made journeys outside of Herefordshire to buy Caribbean food, perhaps he should not be so surprised to discover how many miles people will cover to eat authentic West Indian food.
