Jamaica Observer Table Talk Food Awards judges for the parish of Trelawny Marina Delfoss and Janet Crick share their final two culinary gems…

Our last culinary gem takes us up into the hills of Trelawny, into the heart of Cockpit Country to a small community known as Dutch Hill District, located on the main road between Ulster Spring and Albert Town.

Getting to Dutch Hill is an ideal road trip, taking you through breathtaking scenery of hills and valleys and majestic rock faces. It’s also a journey back in time replete with old churches, period wooden style homes and old sign posts.

The journey from the North Coast Highway turnoff for Duncans takes about 45 minutes, first on the flat alongside the sugarcane fields between Clark’s Town and Jackson Town, then ascending further and further up into the mountains, passing through various districts such as Sawyers and our very own Jamaican Alps. As we ascend, the sight of numerous farm plots bearing yam vines remind us that we are in Yam country. The small community of Dutch Hill is just beyond Ulster Spring, and as we round a corner a few minutes after entering the district, the bright blue stall tucked beneath a bank of trees lets us know we’ve arrived at our destination.

We are greeted by a cheerful Miss Veronica, busy at work roasting yam and sweet potato on a charcoal grill. Behind the wooden stall, her son Jermaine crouches on a beautiful carpet of otaheite blossoms as he cuts cane to feed into his sugar cane mill which is affixed to the otaheite tree.

The pleasantries out of the way, we get down to the business of eating. Miss Veronica prepares the yam and sweet potato by first pounding them with a stick, then peeling off the skin. They are served with roasted green plantains if you desire, and topped off with a heaping serving of cook up saltfish seasoned with tomatoes, onions and sweet pepper, with just enough scotch bonnet pepper to give the flavour that extra kick. This is the type of meal where not one morsel is wasted.

Our dining area is a wooden bench craftily perched in between the roots of a large ackee tree, which interestingly, serves as the supporting column on one side of the stall. A curtain of lush green vegetation provides a beautiful natural backdrop as we eat.

Over lunch we learn that Miss Veronica has owned and run the stall for the past 22 years. It’s a family affair, her son and grandson helping out with various aspects of the operations and her brother supplying the jelly coconuts, which you can purchase to accompany your meal.

Miss Veronica and family exude all the natural charm and hospitality of traditional Jamaican country folk. This is an ideal stop if you’re travelling through to the South Coast, or if you just enjoy a drive out into the country to enjoy some fresh air and good food.

The stall operates every day except Tuesdays and Saturdays and is open from 7:00 am until 5:00 pm For good measure you can call ahead to 887-7482.