There is a full range of gastronomic delights to be had on the island including a Michelin star experience at The Cliff which sits on the Platinum coast -that’s the famous West Coast with it’s magnificent golden sandy beaches where celebrity spotting is for some a regular pastime.
I’ve personally tried Tides in Holetown, another island favourite where you may spot the odd celebrity and to be fair the service was second to none I’ve experienced worldwide. The food is fabulous but it all comes at a price!
However, I much prefer to eat like a local and really experience proper home cooked Bajan food. Having been fortunate enough to learn some traditional Bajan dishes from my previous mother-in-law I will spend time on the island searching out these homestyle venues and my absolute favourite is GRANDENES:
Don’t be fooled by the surroundings this is not like all the expensive restaurants in the near vicinity this is Shane and his parents Granville and Nadine ( hence the name Grandenes) serving up excellent authentic Bajan food for less than 50 Bajan dollars a plate! You get a choice of protein to which you can add up to two carbs plus sides. On my first visit I had rice n peas n macaroni pie with fried chicken but I’ve also tried the breadfruit pie, green banana cou cou, vegetable rice and baked chicken. There is plenty to choose from. They also have a good bar and were the first restaurant on the island that also served virgin cocktails for those of us driving to and from our accommodation!
When we weren’t talking to Shane about his experience of growing up on the island and having quite an in depth discussion between him n my other half about the West Indies vs England cricket we were watching all the locals arriving to collect their takeaways.
I learnt a long time ago if the locals eat somewhere that’s the place to be and that is certainly the case here!
Let me now introduce you to something completely different -PEG:
Possibly unexpected on the island but still based on the concept of local Bajan food, PEG stands for People-Environment -Growth and is a farm and nature sanctuary dedicated to developing the first biodynamic farm on Barbados. Based upon the four key principles of biodynamics – free range animal husbandry – broad acre permaculture and holistic management they have restored the soil damaged by centuries of sugarcane plantation.
In addition to providing a campsite for guests to stay on site they also have their own cafe and it was here that I celebrated my birthday this year back in February. It is definitely worth contacting them in advance to book a table as they do get busy and being tucked away in the parish of St Joseph on some of the highest land on the island it is a long way to go to find they cannot accommodate you.
Seated on the open air verandah you are blessed with beautiful views of the island and warm tropical breezes. Using their biodynamic, locally grown produce and free range pasture-raised animal products, meals are prepared fresh in the open plan kitchen. The smell alone will make your mouth water even before it is presented to you on the plate to eat.
We actually learnt about this place from the recent BBC series “Clive Myrie’s Caribbean Adventure” and will definitely return on our next visit to the island. In the meantime don’t leave without taking the walk out to the edge of the farm where the views across the East coast are breath-taking!
On Friday you can read about my third favourite thing to do on the island and that is to find Peace and Tranquillity!
If you want any more ideas or information about places to eat on the island by all means comment and get in touch.
A Midlife Adventure 