Riaz Phillips is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. His previous cookbook on Jamaican food, West Winds, won the Fortnum & Mason Cookery book of the year award in 2023 and the Jane Grigson Award in 2022, and was listed as one of the best cookbooks of the year by The Guardian, Independent and more. When not moonlighting in kitchens or bars, his freelance writing can be found in The Guardian, Evening Standard, Vice, Vox, Resy and more.
What does a journey mean to you?
Where you can learn just as much during the journey as the destination.
Which country or location most inspires you?
I’ll be biased and say Jamaica. Every time I go, I learn so much new stuff and I’m always blown away by the resourcefulness of people using limited access to create everything from foods to self-care products and much more
Where would you go back to and why?
New Orleans is somewhere I will try to travel as much as I can. For me it is a true amalgamation of cultures and it feels like a Caribbean island in the middle of America.
Top insider tip for London?
Horizon Foods. Nothing on Instagram, hard to get to and nowhere to sit. However, this warehouse on Thurs-Sat sells incredible Trinidadian takeout food and snacks for wholesale prices.
What journey would you most like to go on?
A long multi-day/week train journey through India. That said, I’d love to do a similar service that smoothly traversed West Africa, though I’m not sure it exists.
