{"id":4934,"date":"2022-01-20T12:18:03","date_gmt":"2022-01-20T12:18:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/?p=4934"},"modified":"2022-01-20T12:29:35","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T12:29:35","slug":"jerk-junction-its-in-the-seasoning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/culture\/jerk-junction-its-in-the-seasoning\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerk Junction: It\u2019s in the seasoning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jerk Junction has been around since 2013 but when Jake took over the restaurant 1.5 years ago, their progress and growth have been clear to see: from their epic rebrand, to their expanded outdoor cabin seating with neon feature wall – all in the name of feel-good food. It\u2019s fair to say that they\u2019ve claimed the corner of Manchester and Woodside Road with music, the most mouth- watering smells, and always a warm, community vibe. I chatted to Miss Lola, who\u2019s been running the kitchen alongside Miss Ivy for years before the change in ownership; if anyone knows what\u2019s up, it\u2019s this doyenne. She tells me why Jerk Junction is always a party, and we talk nose-to-tail eating, growing up in Jamaica, and what makes JJ\u2019s food the most unapologetically authentic Jamaican joint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Jerk Junction revamped: their outer cabin with the neon wall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, the secret is in your seasoning. We love food, we love getting together and eating – that\u2019s the thing about Caribbeans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve got to have the right seasoning and cook it for long enough. Take our rice, you can\u2019t just cook it in half an hour and you can\u2019t just cook it from a tin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, if I could only relay to you the absolute horror on Miss Lola\u2019s face when I tell her about Tilda\u2019s Caribbean packets of microwaveable rice…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Right: Heidi talking to Miss Lola<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then, to the kitchen, where Miss Lola runs the show, stirring as she goes – and hot damn, kittens, is it an immersive experience: the herby, homely smells from the huge bubbling pots of rice and peas, her jerk gravy (an ode to this later) and Scotch. Bonnets. Everywhere. Plant-based eaters will be thrilled to know Miss Lola is working on her famous stew peas recipe, but vegetarian-like, and they do offer vegan stew on the menu. We also stop to admire the homemade dough being worked, knowing it\u2019ll be fried into the most delicious fluffy dumplings, or spinners, with a sweet, crisp outer shell. We know size doesn\u2019t matter but these are MASSIVE, like biting into an apple but a much more rewarding experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We first try the curried goat, and I already know it\u2019s going to be an emotional experience just looking at the bowl, with its deep colour and fragrant steam. It\u2019s rich and savoury, slow cooked on the bone (picky eaters, get over it, that\u2019s where the flavour\u2019s at) for the most tender chunks of meat that melt in your mouth. It\u2019s peppery and warming and the perfect winter companion, served with rice and peas and golden plantain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we eat, Miss Lola reflects on her experience with food growing up, having moved to the UK when she was 10, and accessibility to ingredients in a wildly different time: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c40, 50 years ago you couldn\u2019t get all these things. Over the years everything improved, you don\u2019t have to go back to the Caribbean and pack a suitcase with spices…we all can have the Caribbean taste here – but\u2019, she warns, \u2018if you don\u2019t have the traditional way of cooking, it won\u2019t taste the same.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s truth to what she says when you look at the following Jerk Junction has, \u2018we get every nationality, everyone comes here and they tell people \u2018you\u2019ve got to try JJ\u2019 because it IS proper Jamaican food – there\u2019s no half-measures about it y\u2019know? And that\u2019s how I want to keep it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to committing to authenticity, Jerk Junction puts their money where their mouth is. We enter the Jerk Shack which houses Jake\u2019s pride and joy: the custom-made drum imported from Jamaica. The jerk chicken, by way of coals and magic I\u2019m sure, is cooked to perfection, every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Left: Jerk Chicken, Right: Ackee and Saltfish <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s their speciality so you can expect nothing less than juicy, smoky chicken that stops a conversation and demands all your attention. I chose to douse mine in their jerk gravy which is beautifully fruity, with a slow-building heat that\u2019s not quite spicy, but rounded with sweetness and tang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Lola\u2019s favourite dish is her ackee and saltfish \u2018with roasted breadfruit because that\u2019s the Jamaican in me.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her ackee and saltfish situation is actually kind of holy with its seasoning, and completely different to anything else on the menu. The thyme complements the salt-cured fish and the soft ackee is a taste I can only describe as \u2018fun\u2019. It\u2019s herby, a teeny bit spicy, but so fresh and light you could eat it by the bucket, with very little chewing necessary. Plus, ackee is healthy af and full of nutrients so there\u2019s that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On maintaining Jamaican culture and tradition in the UK, Miss Lola notes the disparity between the two cultures: \u201cThere\u2019s other things that people don\u2019t eat that we eat, like stewed peas with pig tail. I still cook it; my friends come round to eat it, but I cook it for joy. It\u2019s an occasion food. The children like it as well, you see. And our children are born in this country so you have to each them your tradition and way of eating otherwise it will just die out you know? You have to keep at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We discuss the future of Jamaican food, and Caribbean food in general. With a lot of chain restaurants like Turtle Bay popping up all over the UK, Miss Lola is firm in her belief that \u201cJamaican food is strong enough to stand on its own because people want it to be proper Jamaican…my plans for the future is to enjoy what I\u2019m doing, and I can\u2019t see me not doing it, it\u2019s for the love in me, to promote Jamaican food. The original, not the watered-down version.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Far be it from me to question anything Miss Lola says. While they\u2019ve enjoyed well-deserved success, Jerk Junction recently came under fire from a ghastly minority online after being featured in a Google ad for #spenditblack, and raising awareness about Black Pound Day (BPD is the first Saturday of every month where people can make more of a conscious effort to buy black-owned). Trolls are gonna troll, but really it begs the question: if you enjoy black food\/music\/art\/aesthetics and love to benefit from black culture, but don\u2019t want to see black-owned businesses elevated and celebrated, what are you doing eating their deliciously-seasoned food in the first place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some food for thought there. Catch Miss Lola, Jake, and the team, where they\u2019re open 7 days a week in the new year. Lucky us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tue-Thu, Sun 12pm-10pm
Fri-Sat 12pm-12am
*will be open on Mon in the new year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halal \u2705
Vegan options \u2705<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jerk Junction has been around since 2013 but when Jake took over the restaurant 1.5 years ago, their progress and growth have been clear to see: from their epic rebrand, to their expanded outdoor cabin seating with neon feature wall – all in the name of feel-good food. It\u2019s fair to say that they\u2019ve claimed … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[46],"yoast_head":"\nJerk Junction: It\u2019s in the seasoning - EAT MCR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/culture\/jerk-junction-its-in-the-seasoning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jerk Junction: It\u2019s in the seasoning - EAT MCR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jerk Junction has been around since 2013 but when Jake took over the restaurant 1.5 years ago, their progress and growth have been clear to see: from their epic rebrand, to their expanded outdoor cabin seating with neon feature wall – all in the name of feel-good food. 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