Sourcing the Scotch Bonnet

Scotch bonnet is not just a heat delivery system. Grown well, it carries a fruitiness that a habanero substitute can't fake, and it's the backbone of half the sauces that leave our kitchen.

We buy from two specialist growers who supply West African and Caribbean grocers across London, choosing fruit by ripeness rather than by grade. A slightly underripe scotch bonnet is sharper and greener; a fully ripe one is rounder and sweeter. Different dishes call for different points on that scale.

It's a small ingredient to build a sourcing relationship around, but it's exactly the kind of decision that separates a kitchen that cooks African food from one that understands it.