Food for Friends by Levi Roots

Levi’s recipes never fail to conjure up a bit of sunshine. His latest book is a feast of vibrant colours and bold flavours from the Caribbean and beyond.

Levi rose to fame through the BBC programme Dragons’ Den as a purveyor of some of the most fiery  hot sauces around, but this Jamaican-born cook’s creations go way beyond condiments.

In this new book, Levi concentrates on food for friends – the kind of recipes that are minimal in fuss and casual in nature but certain to please crowds. There are sections on brunch, lunch, supper, puddings and high tea, as well as barbecues for the great outdoors, food for parties (including some mean cocktails) and excellent picnic ideas.

Recipes are uncomplicated, based on easy-to-find ingredients, but Levi frequently gives an unexpected twist, such as the addition of stem ginger to a roast squash salad, or the transformation of a typical Caribbean stout punch into an amazing ice cream.

Some of the recipes (such as stuffed piquillo peppers) have a Spanish flavour and there are dishes from Cuba, such as sweetcorn fritoritos, green rice and black beans. But there’s still lots of space given to classic Caribbean dishes, such as lime-escovitched sea bream, jerk barbecued spare ribs and smoked fish choka.

At the back is Levi’s ‘sunshine kit’ – the spices, herbs and ingredients he uses to give his dishes the kick and complexity we’ve come to expect. This is the book to go for if you want to keep the summer flavours going, even as the long days start to wane.

Published by Mitchell Beazley, priced £18.99.

Buy this book at Waterstone’s

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