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TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN Caribbean food is relatively unknown in Ireland, but Dr Jennylynd James (above), a food scientist who…

TASTE OF THE CARIBBEANCaribbean food is relatively unknown in Ireland, but Dr Jennylynd James (above), a food scientist who came to Ireland three years ago from California, is never without a crowd around her stall at farmers' markets, called Lindy's Caribbean Corner. She has just published a book, Caribbean Cooking for Culchies, which, she says, "brings sunshine to your plate".

As well as adding colour (and heat) to the markets she attends in the greater Dublin area, James also distributes her spices, seasonings and chutneys - imported from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago - to specialist food shops.

But if you can't get hold of James's authentic jerk seasoning, coconut sauce or tamarind chutney, Discovery Foods, the UK manufacturer of Mexican foods, has just launched a range of Caribbean-influenced products (and some from Latin America) that are widely available in supermarkets.

Discovery Foods imports its spice blends from the US, where they are created by the New Orleans restaurateur, TV chef and author Paul Prudhomme. The Caribbean range, which includes a cook-in sauce and a wrap kit, teams a fiery jerk seasoning with tropical fruit, including mango and pineapple.

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DISCOVERY FOODS TWO-STEP JAMAICAN JERK & MELLOW MANGO SAUCE(€3.20/360g sauce/ 10g seasoning)

The "real food" content in this seasoning-and-sauce combo is reassuring: tomatoes, mango, pineapple and onions make up the bulk of the sauce contents. The spice mix, a hot jerk blend containing paprika, garlic, pepper, thyme and oregano, is cleverly packaged in a plastic tub that sits atop the jar. Pop off the spice mix and sprinkle it over chicken, fish or meat before frying until it is cooked, then pour the sauce over the top and bring to the boil.

A few sliced onions and peppers fried alongside the chicken add a bit more texture to the sauce, which is surprisingly hot, and definitely benefits from the mellow influence of the mango and pineapple. Not too synthetic tasting, and with real depth of flavour; this is surprisingly good. But a word of warning, the "medium hot" rating on the jar is a bit misleading - not one for the kids. There is also a wrap kit (€4.77), containing eight flour wraps, seasoning mix and a mango-and-pineapple salsa.

For stockists of Jennylynd James's Caribbean products, and details of the farmers' markets she attends, see www.caribbeanireland.com.