Scotch bonnet peppers: my favourite.  When I saw them in the market in The Hague last Saturday I beelined straight for them.  I think they’re what I miss most about London.  Um.  Apart from Aidan.

The marinade is very easy – at least the way I make it anyway – and it’s so good. Even though I’ve only been making it since I moved to London, jerk chicken and gravy is right up there in terms of all-time favourite comfort foods.

Ingredients

Chicken

1 free range chicken

3 scotch bonnet peppers

3 spring onions

3 tbsp sunflower oil

5-6 sprigs of thyme 

juice of 1 lemon

generous pinch of salt

Gravy

1 chicken stock cube

1/2 inch minced/grated ginger

pinch allspice (or cloves, if easier to come by)

300 mls water

1 tbsp cornflour

meat juices 

Method

Chicken

Step 1: Throw peppers, onions, oil, thyme, lemon juice and salt into a blender and blend.

Step 2: Smother the chicken with the paste and leave overnight in the fridge.

Step 3: Transfer to roasting tin and roast in a preheated oven at 200c for about 1hr 30m – 1hr 45m, depending on weight of chicken.  This is a slightly higher temperature than most will recommend but I find it works.  Trial and error, and all that.

Step 4: When done, remove from roasting tin, wrap in tinfoil, drape with tea towel and leave to rest.

Gravy

Step 1: Pour some boiling water into the roasting tin and stir/scrape the bottom of the pan with a fish slice to get all the good stuff off the bottom.  You know what to do.

Step 2: Fry ginger and allspice in a little oil on a medium to low heat for 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Add water and stock cube, turn up heat and stir until stock cube is dissolved.

Step 4: Mix cornflour with half glass of cold water until dissolved.  Add to saucepan and stir well.

Step 5:  Add meat juices from roasting tin to the saucepan and continue to heat.  Bring through the boil, stirring continuously, until the gravy thickens.

Plate up chicken, one quarter per person, and drench with gravy.  Serve with rice and peas and a side of spiced carrot and cabbage (recipes forthcoming!).