Travelling the parishes on a working mission requires finding peaceful accommodation when the need to rest one’s weary head arrives. Not only a resting place, in fact, but a spot where the palate can be titillated after days on the road where grabbing a bite to eat side-ah-road has been daily bread.

When in Portland, I head for Mocking Bird Hotel overlooking Port Antonio’s surrounding verdant green hills. Nestled in what can only be described as a semi-rain forest where flowers of all descriptions bloom, owned and operated by the careful touch of Shireen Aga and Barbara Walker and backed by a most friendly and service-oriented staff, this hideaway has been created for those with discerning tastes. It is here that good food is de rigueur drizzled with artistic flair, blissful silence, breathtaking views, colorful birds, dancing butterflies and twinkling fireflies (‘peeniwallies’ in Jamaica!) that light up cool misty evenings bringing a refreshing dew on the following morning’s grass.

Hotel Mockingbird Hill  prides itself on a business that supports the community of Portland and its surrounds. The owners are “food-groupies of a different kind” giving even more credibility to what I love to preach:  it is possible to run a successful agri-tourism hotel/restaurant in this country!

Shireen and Barbara, for instance, ensure they are well acquainted with Jamaica’s bounty by searching out every ‘food-lead’ until that particular taste is on the tables of their well-appointed restaurant Milles Fleurs.

Combined with their creativity, this effort on their part produces the most delicious peals of pleasure I have ever heard emanating from any dining room, come breakfast, lunch and dinner! But there’s more. These two ladies are organic food groupies. Here organic is the word. Healthy, clean produce (the way of the future and a particular scotch in my bonnet!) that can sometimes bring surprises to those who just happen to be around at the right time – meaning as much as possible! For instance, one night brought an introduction to a very fine looking lady with the face of an angel and a twinkle in her eye. She opened a roll of cheese and put it before me. I naturally did a quick itsy-bitsy-taste-testing. What a delight to the palate. A most smooth, divine, creamy, fantastic, scrumptious goat cheese with a slight note of rum, an occasional raisin within bursting into sweetness that brought all my senses into play whilst compartmentalizing aroma, texture, taste and the visual. As easy as that an evening was then spent discussing the delights of goat cheese slices, i.e. what about including Otaheite Apple, Oranges, Grapefruit, Ortanique, June Plum, Mango into this cheese? What about crushed fresh pimento? Or even touches of Jerk chutney?  This American lady (married to a Jamaican) whose name was Johanna Bulova – I discovered after I had literally ‘nyamed’ all her cheese – made my evening even more special.

This is just the tip of the local lettuce with Shireen and Barbara – there’s more. Other local organic pleasures find their place here – honey, free-range chicken and duck, freshly caught supplies of crayfish from the rivers, fish and shellfish from the seas, greens and vegetables from local farmers for their kitchens.  “We do not believe in architectural food here. Our dishes are constructed with a touch of warmth and a lot of purity. Clean food is what we offer”, said Shireen unabashedly.
 
At Mocking Bird one cannot help but wake up refreshed eager for breakfast. This hotel should be touted as the first BREAD AND BREAKFAST spot in Jamaica! Why? Because breakfast of your choice is always accompanied by fresh fruits and an array of specialty breads baked in-house daily – the latter smothered by me in yes! – you got it – goat cheese!  Later a spot of lunch taking in the wonder of the view is a must just as an appetizer before their great afternoon teas that include perfectly brewed Blue Mountain Coffee (of course!), freshly baked cakes and pastries that vie for position with savory sandwiches filled with smoked marlin and, again, that goat cheese from heaven! And you know what I call the Entrée and Dessert all rapped up in one – their ever-changing and innovative dinner menu! So if you want laid-back peace and quiet touched by enchanting cuisine at any time of the year, Mockingbird Hill gets my vote. Good going ladies.