Barrhead Travel and Jamaica's Tourism Board

Barrhead Travel and the Jamaican Tourist Board brought the style, culture and colour of Jamaica to Glasgow on 2nd July, when Jamaica House 2014 opened at 29 in Glasgow ahead of the Commonwealth Games – with a little help from Jamaica’s own Levi Roots. Bringing some Caribbean sunshine to a rainy Glasgow, Reggae Reggae sauce founder Levi declared Jamaica House 2014 officially open with a jerk chicken cookery demonstration, and spoke of his Scottish heritage, and the links between Jamaica and Scotland.

“Jamaica’s had a romance with Scotland forever and I relish my Scottishness”, Levi said. “Not a lot of people know my real name is Keith Graham, a Scottish name. About 90% of people in Jamaica have Scottish surnames, as so many of Scots came to Jamaica from Scotland in years gone by. We’re very proud of our Scottish inheritance.”

‘Food is Jamaica’s gift to the world.’

Levi adds “Jamaicans and Scots rise above everyone else where passion is concerned – it’s what we do best. I‘ve always said that Jamaica is the largest small country in the world, because of that passion.“

As he cooked his jerk chicken recipe on 29’s terrace barbeque using his own Reggae Reggae sauce, he talked about Jamaica’s relationship with food, and how to make the perfect jerk sauce.

“Food is Jamaica’s gift to the world. When cooking jerk chicken, I always use Scotch Bonnet peppers, as it’s not true jerk without it! The recipe I use was passed down to me from my Grandmother, so it’s connected to me.”

Authentic Jerk seasoning

Levi offered his advice for cooks wanting an authentic jerk culinary experience. “Of course, we need the Scotch Bonnet. We Jamaican always use garlic, ginger, spring onion, lime and some cinnamon or nutmeg. Top it off with a little white wine vinegar or olive oil and some black pepper and you’ve got some delicious, authentic jerk.”

For those of us who would rather stay at home and watch Jamaica take on the rest of the Commonwealth, why not try Levi’s quick and easy recipe for Reggae Reggae chicken wrap whilst watching their superstar athletes compete at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games? Delicious yet easy to make, it’s ideal for busy Games-watchers who want to see as much of the sporting action as possible.

Amazing deals to this wonderful island

Of course, if you want to try the real article there’s nowhere better to do it than in Jamaica itself and Barrhead Travel has some amazing deals to this wonderful island. Prices from £795 per person all inclusive. We’ve all sorts of added value offers too. Visit our Caribbean section to discover more now.