Nyam & Trod is a Caribbean flexitarian lifestyle brand conceptualised by the JuicyChef Jacqui Sinclair to promote the intersectionality between global food culture and the freedom and connectiveness of travel through a Caribbean lens.

Initially, as a spokesperson for Meatless Monday Global, Sinclair wanted to publish a free annual printed “coffee table sexy” food magazine which was flexitarian in nature, 70 per cent plant-based, 30 per cent animal protein recipes, to also feature climate and travel stories.

Frustrated by the lack of support for Meatless Monday Jamaica, suffering the theft of her cookbook manuscript, which she had worked on diligently for 12 years, plus grieving the back-to-back loss of her parents, Sinclair threw in the towel and gave up. She went underground and started plans to move back to Europe permanently. Then the novel coronavirus arrived, the borders closed, and she was stuck.

During Sinclair’s out-of-work “silent period”, she went through her body of JuicyChef content, reflected and brainstormed on how to use the substantive material in which she had heavily invested. She decided it would be an epic waste not to publish them or the beautifully styled photography, cooking videos and food stories that were filmed and shot by her photographer friends Will Twort, Martei Korley, Robert “Krusha” Harriott and Cesar Buelto.

What to do with the content she had created and accumulated soon came to her after consultation with her friend Michael Robinson of Ovaso, a branding, marketing and design company based in the US. She was encouraged to rebrand, forget print and to enter the digital space as her own mini food media brand.

Nyam & Trod was birthed! A reflection of her British Jamaican heritage as well as her “travel to eat” ethos. Although international travel has slowed down, Nyam & Trod will nevertheless create recipes for people to travel the world through their palates and in their kitchens in the interim until they can resume travelling safely, extensively and consciously.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, “we have allowed the brand to run organically, and took a leap of faith by going live in August”, Sinclair explained.

The non-aligned and independent Nyam & Trod is a multi-functional platform. The website is divided into categories, including Nyam (general recipes and food stories), Trod (travel stories), Meatless Monday (plant-based recipes), Earth (climate-focused stories), and others. There will also be YouTube videos and a podcast covering a variety of wide-ranging food and travel-driven content from Sinclair and her friends, targeting home cooks and nomads.

Sinclair has used this time of personal and world crisis to pivot and create. The dream of having her own cookbook and magazine may not have materialised when she had wanted it to happen, but she is starting from scratch and looks forward to fresh beginnings and future partnerships with various food and travel brands.

Passionfruit Squares

I am obsessive about passion fruit and forever excited when they come into season. Enjoy experimenting with them in both sweet and savoury dishes. This no-bake sweet treat is perfect during the hot months. One day I did not have enough biscuits for my base and used some almonds to make up the difference. Have not looked back since.

Ingredients:

200 g digestive biscuits

50 g roasted almonds

150 g unsalted butter

500 g plain cream cheese

400 g condensed milk

50 ml lime juice

175 g passionfruit pulp

Method:

Prepare a rectangular baking pan by greasing and lining with parchment paper. I used an 11 x 7-inch pan.

Blitz the biscuits and almonds until fine in a food processor, then add the butter and process until combined.

Press the biscuit mixture all over the base of the pan. Set aside.

In a mixer add cream cheese, condensed milk, lime juice and ¾ of the passionfruit pulp and mix until combined.

Layer the passionfruit cream mixture all over the biscuit base and smooth surface with a spatula.

Scatter the remaining pulp all over the top and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or chill overnight.

When ready to serve, divide into 12 squares.

Quick Pickled Beets with Whole Spices and Thyme

Pickled beets are a staple in my fridge. I snack on them with other small plates and add them to salads for another dimension. They always come in handy for a quick treat.

Ingredients:

500 g boiled beets

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

2 tsps coriander seeds, slightly crushed

A couple sprigs of thyme

250 ml white cane vinegar

100 g sugar

1 tsp salt

Method:

1. Peel and slice boiled beets and set aside in a bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, add cinnamon, star anise, coriander seeds, vinegar, sugar, salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Pour over the beets and let cool until it is room temperature, then place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Shakarkandi (Sweet potato)

In India and Pakistan, this sweet potato snack roasted over coals is common with street food vendors dusted with chaat masala and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I experienced this on a business trip to India with a global organisation I belong to. This is my home-style Jamaican version. I substitute by using local Valencia oranges instead of lemons and a home-made “masala” mix of sorts, using dried spices and herbs.

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed

Masala (1/2 tsp each red chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, dried mint, anise seed, black pepper, amchur powder, ground ginger)

1 tsp sea salt

1 orange, cut in half

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Bake sweet potatoes until cooked through, roughly 40 minutes.

Cool down until tolerable to touch, peel off skins, cut into chunks, place in a bowl.

Sprinkle with spice mix and squeeze over orange juice.

Grab toothpicks or forks and dig in!

Recipes & Food Styling by JuicyChef

For more on Nyam & Trod check out:

Website: www.nyamandtrod.com

Instagram: @nyamandtrod

YouTube: Nyam & Trod

E-mail: nyamandtrod@gmail.com