WHEN I was a child growing up in 1960s London, Caribbean food was unheard of in mainstream shops and catering establishments. My mother had to travel miles from the suburbs of London, where we then lived, back to inner-city West Indian communities like Brixton in order to purchase staples like yam, salt fish and basic spices. And Caribbean food was never on the menu in cafés and restaurants.

Now that has all changed. You can get Caribbean fruits, vegetables, condiments and spices in every supermarket. And even in the hallowed halls of the House of Commons, they have jerk chicken and rice and peas on the menu every week.

Furthermore, it is one of the most popular dishes they serve. It gets finished long before the lunch break is over .

One man who has played a big part in bringing Caribbean food into the mainstream is pattie producer Wade Lyn. He is one of Britain’s most successful businessmen. The Jamaican Government has appointed him as Jamaica’s honorary consul in Birmingham.

Last week the Jamaican high commissioner in London held a reception in his honour in order to mark the fact that Wade Lyn has been appointed a Commander of the British Empire.

People have cooked Jamaican food at home in Britain from the earliest days of Jamaican migration. In fact, as a small child the highlight of any wedding for me was not the iced cake, but the curry goat and rice which was invariably served at the after-party.

I used to say that I would not feel properly married if there was not curry goat and rice at the wedding. In fact, the delicacy was not served at my nuptials and the marriage did not last, so maybe that was the reason.

There have always been small Jamaican take-aways that opened up and occasionally restaurants. But Wade Lyn’s achievement was not just the fortune he has made from his Birmingham-based business. His triumph is that he brought Jamaican patties into mainstream supermarkets like Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

He founded the business in 1987 with a £10,000 loan from his parents. Today he makes 100,000 “Island Delight” patties a week and has 60 per cent of the patty market in the UK. Despite his business success, Wade is the opposite of the brash, flashy entrepreneur. Modest and self-effacing, he is a strong family man.

His daughter is a successful sportswoman who played a key role in the UK hockey team in the 2012 Olympics. Perhaps because he lives in Birmingham, you will not see him on the circuit of West Indian social events in London.

But Wade is devoted to public service. He is a mentor to other food businesses in the West Midlands, was appointed a Business Ambassador by Prince Charles and was Small Businessman of the Year in 2012.

Now he is an energetic Honorary Consul for Jamaica in Birmingham. It is an important role, because Birmingham has the largest Jamaican community in the UK outside of London. Typically Wade is more interested in providing a service to his fellow Jamaicans and promoting Jamaica at every opportunity, than in doing the social circuit.

He has been a business and culinary pioneer and has played as important a part as any celebrity chef in popularising Jamaican cuisine. And his low-key style reflects well on the black business community. But I am confident that his journey is not over yet.

One place that does not stock his patties is the cafeteria in Parliament. So maybe one day I will be pleased to enjoy a cold beer and a warm “Island Delight” patty on the terrace of the House of Commons with Lord Wade Lyn.

— Diane Abbott is the British Labour party MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington

www.dianeabbott.org.uk