A GROUP of guests were given an early taste of what’s to come when they attended at a special Caribbean food event at a restaurant near Bromsgrove.

Worcestershire chef Lorenzo Richards dished up a selection of cross-culture fusion food at his restaurant The Wildmoor Oak.

The event was to raise awarenesss of the Culture Cooking Expo, the UK’s largest indoor African and Caribbean Food and Drink Expo which is open to the public and takes place in Birmingham from September Friday 29 to Sunday October 1. Lorenzo is helping to organise the expo.

Lorenzo’s restaurant guests were treated to a range of exotic, tasty and down-right spicy dishes including Jerk Scotch eggs; miniature Jamaican dumplings with a fusion of salsa and Caribbean Scotch bonnet peppers and a version of Jamaica’s national dish ackee and saltfish bambi stack.

The expo is an ambitious project, which will bring together celebrity chefs and restaurants to help raise the profile of the diversity of African and Caribbean cuisine - the result of a heritage steeped in cross-cultural food influences.

High profile personalities associated with the project include award-winning chef Collin Brown, who will have one of six fully operational pop-up restaurants at the expo, where he will be serving his fusion between Caribbean and European cuisine.

English sculptor Willard Wigan and celebrity Jamaican chef Rustie Lee, have both endorsed Lorenzo’s role in the project while Dr Martin Glynn, a lecturer at Birmingham City University, is providing expert advice on the health benefits of African and Caribbean food.

Lorenzo said: “This is a very exciting time for everyone involved with the project. The expo has the ability to change the way people think about African and Caribbean food and drink.

“We are keen to attract industry professionals, food critics and foodies alike, from across the UK – anyone who is passionate about quality food but may never have considered African and Caribbean cuisine as a mainstream competitor for fine dining.”

For more information about the Culture Cooking Expo visit www.culturecookingexpo.co.uk