The Windrush generation are rarely accredited for their role in both rebuilding post-War Britain and expanding British culture. When it comes to cuisine in particular, those who travelled from the Caribbean to the UK between the 1940s and 1970s brought with them an abundance of recipes unique to West Indian culture, helping to massively increase the popularity of Caribbean food across the nation.
In response to being ostracised and isolated from British society upon their arrival, Windrush migrants formed their own communities and social spaces where they felt free to recreate aspects of their Caribbean roots. Food stood as a uniting force between displaced Windrush migrants – a way of interacting with and bringing together the community. Through large social gatherings and street parties among Windrush migrants – celebrating both Caribbean food and music – the UK’s Caribbean carnival culture was born.
Many of the Caribbean restaurants and street food enterprises we see in Britain today stem from this time. In recent years, their popularity has continued to grow. A 2019articlein the Observer explored the rise of Caribbean food in the UK, noting that a young generation of British chefs who are of Caribbean and West African descent have once more revived the British food scene.
