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Showing posts with label Cameroon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cameroon. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

The Story of Marie's Little Jar


“As I develop food and recipes from time to time I come across special a flavour that goes beyond one dish. Marie’s Little Jar is the result of those special flavours.”


When Carine’s not busy running supper clubs or making food for the Supper app, she can be found in her kitchen, coming up with exciting new products for her line Marie’s Little Jar.

How it all started:

Marie’s Little Jar was born from Carine’s deeply-held belief that everyone should aim to cook more at home. At the same time, she understands that not everyone has the time and resources necessary to make delicious meals from scratch every day of the week. Thus was born Marie’s Little Jar, a range of products designed to bring that little extra oomph to your cooking, for minimal effort.
“Marie” is Carine’s first name, and the “Little Jar” indicates that little kitchen secret, that jar of something special you always have in the cupboard. In other words, Carine is opening her kitchen to you, in order to make your life tastier and simpler.
None of the sauces in the MLJ range conform to one specific cuisine, but Carine is continually influenced by the cooking and ingredients of her home country – Cameroon. Cameroonian food makes creative and unexpected use of spices, a theme which carries through all of Carine’s cooking, including the Marie’s Little Jar range and, to this day, many of the spices she uses come straight and only from Cameroon.


What makes MLJ unique:
  • The sauces are raw and use only natural preservatives and no additives
  • High in flavour
  • Minimal processing
  • Focuses on “free from”, suitable for vegans
  • Besides the Cameroonian spices, all produce is sourced locally
  • Increasingly made from foraged produce
  • Encourage sustainability.
  • Made locally in Carine’s home kitchen




What’s in the range:

Marie’s Little Jar features a range of kitchen goodies - from flavoured sauces, marinades, and jams, to flavoured salts and other tasteful kitchen combinations.”

The Green Sauce – This basil-based sauce is Carine’s secret weapon, developed to add that extra zing to your homemade dishes. It is both a marinade and a condiment - not quite pesto, not quite hot - the exact spices and herbs in this sauce are a closely-guarded secret, but we can promise you, you will love it. Originally created as a marinade for grilled meat, it is ideal for a BBQ.

The Red Sauce – Sun-dried-tomato-based, this warming Mediterranean-inspired sauce is ideal for pasta and fish dishes. The perfect speedy supper without compromising on taste.

The Hot Chilli Pepper Sauce – CAUTION: this sauce is HOT HOT HOT. Made from a highly-confidential mix of spices and chilli peppers, this fiery concoction is packed full of unexpected flavours. Very spicy and utterly delicious, this is a welcome addition to any dish you want to pack a punch.


What’s coming in 2016:

As well as developing her “free from” collection further, Carine has some exciting new additions to the Marie’s Little Jar roster.

The Foraged Range:
  • Wild Garlic Pesto
  • Wild Apple & Rosehip Chutney
  • Blackberry
  • Elderberry-Caper

The Flavoured Salt Range, made with real sea-salt from France:
  • Cacao, Rosemary & Vanilla-flavoured Salt - Perfect for slow roast (Lamb)
  • Penja Pepper-flavoured Salt - Highly-flavoured white pepper from Cameroon, perfect for grilled meat and fish
  • Pork Rub-flavoured Salt -Ideal on Pork
  • Red Wine-flavoured Salt - Perfect for stew
  • Pink Grapefruit & Thyme-flavoured and Lemon & Lime-flavoured salt -The perfect finish for your salads



It looks like 2016 is going to be a delicious year! If you want to try any of the products mentioned here – head to the Facebook page and keep an eye on her Twitter to find out where she will be selling next!

Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Try a True Taste of Africa!


Exciting news, ladies and gentlemen, if you can’t make it to tomorrow night's Matango: A True Taste of Africa supper club, we will be holding another one in just two weeks’ time, on November 12th. Each of Carine’s Matango supper clubs explores the culture of a different country, and this one will provide a way for Carine to share the food of her homeland, Cameroon, with you.

Come prepared for some tastes and smells you have never before encountered as Carine often makes dishes and uses ingredients you may never even have heard of. In the past, she has served Ndole, Miondo or Poisson braisĂ©, authentic Cameroonian dishes which have been handed down from generation to generation. Carine might be cooking with exciting ingredients such as Cocoyams and Mbu – and if you don’t know what those taste like… well you better buy a ticket and come taste them for yourself!


Sample Menu

Street-food style appetiser of Banana and Cassava beignet with a choice of chilli dip or Carine’s secret green sauce from Marie’s Little Jar.

Starter of Avocado and Prawn salad, in honour of Cameroon’s name*.

The fish course will be a white fish, steamed in banana leaves with Carine’s special spice blend, served with cassava fries.

The meat course will be Smoked chicken in peanut sauce, served with fragrant rice.

There will be a palate cleanser to make way for dessert!

Dessert will be spiced, roasted banana, served in a spicy syrup, with mango sorbet.

Finally, there will be Coffee and caramelised coconut balls.

You will also take away a homemade goodie bag, filled with some of the things you have tried this evening.




*Cameroon was originally colonised by the Portuguese, who arrived in 1472. Upon arriving they noticed the abundance of prawn and shrimp who lived in the country’s Wouri River. Because of this, they named the territory Rio dos Camarões (“River of Prawns”), and it has been called ‘Cameroon’ ever since!


There will be flavours and ingredients like you have never tasted before, so come hungry and free of expectations and we can guarantee you a warm and wonderful evening.


Get your tickets HERE!


Wednesday, 21 October 2015

What is Matango?


What is Matango?


Mantango is a palm wine, made from the sap of many different palm trees – including the date palm and the coconut palm. In the communities where it is produced it is a key source of income and is served only on very special occasions. Serving matango is a way for Cameroonians to say “Welcome, you are our esteemed guest and we are honoured to be in your presence”, which is just what Carine aims to do in her supper club.


Next week, on Thursday 29th October, Matango’s theme will be A True Taste of Africa and will see Carine cook an array of dishes inspired by the food she grew up with. Carine wants to surprise you, so the menu is a secret, but we can give you a sneak peek of what to expect here.


An example of the staple street food Carine grew up eating.
A homemade Welcome Gift.
A starter which will probably be a dish spiced with local ingredients and cooked in Banana leaves.
A palette cleanser to help you transition to the next exciting dish.
A main dish such as warm stew accompanied with Smoked chicken.
A wonderful tropical-inspired dessert.
A treat to accompany your complimentary coffee.



Intrigued? You should be. We suggest you get a move on and book a ticket! If you can’t make the October 29th, never fear – Carine will be bringing you another taste of Africa on November 12th.