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Brothers taking Natural Flava recipes across UK

Published:Saturday | March 5, 2022 | 12:06 AMGlen Munro/ - Gleaner Writer
Natural Flava - by authors, Shaun (left) and Craig  McAnuff showcases Jamaican food recipes.
Natural Flava - by authors, Shaun (left) and Craig McAnuff showcases Jamaican food recipes.

Social media sensations Craig and Shaun McAnuff are sharing their treasured Jamaican recipes with fans, during a whistle-stop tour across the United Kingdom.

The brothers’ journey across the middle and northern cities of the UK, including Birmingham and Leeds, coincides with the recent launch of their new book, Natural Flava.

The chefs from South London, whose Jamaican grandmother taught them how to cook Caribbean cuisine, have 163,000 followers on Instagram. Their latest entry into publishing contains over one hundred delicious vegan recipes, many of them inspired by Jamaica’s Rastafarians.

Shaun reveals the motive for publishing a second book. He said: “Most of the African Caribbean community are meat eaters.

“We’re not trying to tell people to be vegans. We’re not militant and I don’t think that’s the best way to introduce things to people. We are encouraging the introduction of vegans dishes two or three times a week.”

Natural Flava showcases dishes such as Rasta pumpkin pasta, aubergines stuffed with spicy gungo peas, green banana curry and sweet potato and chickpea peanut stew, with jollof rice.

Discussing the rich variety of vegan recipes found in the book, Craig said:

“We wanted to show our community and the world how you can use different Caribbean-based vegetables, and everyday vegetables as well, with added flavour.

“We wanted to show there is more to Caribbean cooking than just jerk chicken.”

Shaun has noticed that his mother is enjoying the health benefits of a vegan lifestyle. He said: “She had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, but managed to control it and eradicate it as well.

“She lost so much weight, her skin’s glowing and she’s happy. She’s loving it.”

Natural Flava follows the release of Craig and Shaun’s first cookbook, Original Flava, in 2019. It contains traditional and new recipes from the Caribbean, from street food chefs and members of the McAnuff family.

LIFE CHANGING EXPIERENCE

Before the publication of Craig and Shaun’s first book in 2019, the brothers made a pilgrimage to Jamaica, where they discovered an array of fruits and vegetables which became the basis for Natural Flava.

Reminiscing on the experience Craig said: “Our trip to Jamaica was a life-changing experience and it opened our eyes to cooking in a different way.

On our trip we visited vegan cafés in Negril and were amazed by how much natural food was so flavourful and delicious.

“We remember stopping at the café on Seven Mile Beach and ordering a meal which consisted of stew peas, curry tofu, rice and peas and cabbage and it tasted amazing.

“It was one of the best meals we had. We realised that Jamaica was filled with delicious plant-based recipes.”

Gang violence could easily have marred the success of the young brothers. Craig recalls: “Growing up in south London, you’re faced with that challenge,” he said, speaking of gang culture.

“You get caught up in that sort of life, and then you’re affiliated with people outside of your circle, and then you’re known as a gang, and then you have to build up that credibility, and not show your weakness.”

The younger McAnuff brother remembers being on a bus with a group of friends when a gang member accosted them with a gun.

He said: “I started to laugh at him, because I thought it was a fake gun. At the time I was a fearless young man.”

Craig believes the incident was a turning point in his life. Both Shaun and Craig now visit schools, where some kids face the lure of becoming gang members. They talk about their experiences and run cooking workshops.

“We understand the struggles that young people face when it comes to this sort of thing,” says Craig. “We try to teach young people how to have the no-fear attitude, but in a positive place.”

Much of the brothers’ positivity and drive come from the support of their grandmother.

Shaun says: “Our nan [Lurline] is our inspiration; she’s an amazing lady. She’s actually more popular than us now! She literally gets stopped on the street.”

Shaun and Craig spent their summer holidays being trained by their grandmother to make staple Jamaican dishes like ackee and salt fish, and mackerel rundown. Their YouTube careers in their later years were possible because their nan allowed filming in her home.