Antigua & Barbuda's Tourism Department has recognised Fiona Sims as Travel Writer of the Year for her article on Hermitage Bay.  Ms Sims' article "Finding a Food Paradise in Antigua" was printed in The Times in March 2009.

Verman "Dezi" Banhan is Hermitage Bay's award-winning Executive Chef.  He has been at the hotel since it opened in December 2006.

Finding a foodie paradise in Antigua
If you want a true taste of the Caribbean, just head for Hermitage Bay.

Hands up who knows anything about Caribbean food?  Not most of you, I'll bet, even those of you who holiday there regularly.

The hotels there don't believe in keeping things local, and that goes for the style of the cuisine as much as the produce, most of which is imported.  You're more likely to find roast beef and Yorkshire pudding on the menu than pepperpot stew and fungee.

I had shuddered at the idea of staying at an all-inclusive resort in Antigua.  What would I do if the food was no good?

I didn't want to spend my time in a hire car schlepping to restaurants to escape, especially at night.  But Hermitage Bay, a five-star all-inclusive on the west coast, was promising something else: a top chef who uses mostly local ingredients, and cooks Caribbean-inspired dishes alongside more international fare.  And here's a novel idea, a head chef who is from the Caribbean (Jamaica, to be precise).

Everyone calls him Dezi (real name Verman Banhan) and he has done time in some top kitchens, including Ritz-Carlton's Rose Hall in Jamaica, and Carlisle Bay in Antigua, where he was senior sous chef.  This is his first head chef position, and he's loving it.  Over the week we stayed, we tried dishes such as cockle water and provision, wadadli-battered mahi-mahi, and jerk pork and fried plantain salad.
 

The first day started with a soursop and watermelon juice, and I couldn't decide between the Antiguan egg "chop up" and the Caribbean porridge for breakfast - so I had both.  The latter was a comforting combination of slow-cooked rice, cocoa and coconut milk.  "My mother does the best, but this is good," grins our server, Rosie, as we all but lick the bowl clean before moving on to a healthy-looking bowl of green mush sitting alongside our eggs.  The spinach was picked that morning, then cooked with some aubergine and spring onions.

Dezi took me out one morning to show me just how fresh his ingredients are.  After a bumpy ride through back roads we arrived at Mr Christian's farm.  He is Dezi's No1 supplier and you can see why; the man is passionate about his produce, propagating new varieties here, trialling better-tasting guavas there.  As we strolled through the farm, I tried several fruits I'd never heard of, such as the pink-skinned mallie apple, seaside grapes, and naseberries.

"Mallie apples make great tarts.  And these are great stewed," Dezi said, pointing at the red fruit that supports the cashew nut pod.  "I like to serve them with duck."  He peeled open the grapefruit-like skin of a shaddock (nearest cousin the pomelo).  "This is my favourite."  The flesh is firm yet juicy, with a heady floral citrus aroma.  Dezi serves it in a salad with butter-poached Barbuda lobster.

But the most fascinating sight was the Jamaican ackee trees.  I've sampled ackee and saltfish at Mr Jerk in Soho, and clocked the cans of ackee in my local Afro-Caribbean store in South London, but I had no idea that they grew like this.  "You have to watch these," said Mr Christian, "Force it open and eat the fruit before it is ripe and it'll kill you."  He wasn't joking.  When buying ackee fresh, Jamaicans will check the fruit before letting the vendor scoop out the custard-yellow fruit (which when raw tastes a bit like a sweeter chestnut).

My favourite, though, was the ju-ju beet, a variety of a fruit called dumbs that Mr Christian sourced from a Taiwanese mission in St Kitts, and his most lucrative crop.  Green-skinned and crisp to bite, yet sweet and juicy on the palate, I picked a few for nibbling later.  Dezi reckoned they are also great for making jellies and jams.  He had fun with the gourmet menu that night, using Mr Christian's sparkling produce.  Best were the roasted plantain and asparagus soup, and duck with the stewed cashew flower.

Being naturally greedy, I began to search out ways of working up an appetite to enjoy the meals even more.  So each day began with a brisk walk around the headland.  Then just before lunch I would tap Devon, the affable water sports instructor, for a sail.  He would whisk me around the bay in his Hobie, pointing out any wildlife, from turtles to rays, even the occasional dolphin.

Walking back up the steep hill to our "cottage" (a luxurious mini villa, with private plunge pool and a bath the size of a boat) chewed up a few more calories; and the walk back down a few more.  That was it.  But that was more than most - the golf carts on hand to rescue the lazy were in use far too often, the resort's only bum note.
 

The article can be read online here.

2008 Condé Nast World Traveller UK Hot Hotel List
2008 Condé Nast World Traveler US Hot Hotel List
2008 Condé Nast World Traveler US Hot Spa List
2008 TripAdvisor No 3 Best All-Inclusive Hotel in the World
2009 Tatler Travel Guide 101 Best Hotels in the World
2009 Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report Grand Award Winner
2009 Travel & Leisure’s 50 Best Romantic Getaways

For further enquiries contact Rachel Browne, General Manager:

Hermitage Bay
PO Box 60
St John’s
Antigua & Barbuda
Tel: 268-562 5500
Fax: 268-562 5505
Email: info@hermitagebay.com
Website: http://www.hermitagebay.com/

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