If you’re ever voyaging down Guyana’s immense Essequibo River, try docking at Shanklands Rain Forest Resort for a bite to eat. This charming, sprawling property, just north of the remote mining town of Bartica, offers some of the tastiest food in Guyana.
The lady responsible for the tantalizing fare is Evelyn Friday London, a Shanklands original, who was there some 30 years ago when the property was a mere cleft in the rain forest. Evelyn has the same flair that master chefs train for years to achieve, the ability to blend flavours that enchant the palate without overwhelming, the kind of dishes that have you asking, “What is that seasoning? I know that flavour from somewhere.” Subtlety is her forte.
Evelyn’s cuisine has a decided Caribbean edge, but her innovative style adds a special twist. Gently blending her spices like a seasoned master chef, Evelyn’s succulent ocean trout hints at garlic, yet ensures that the delicate flavour of the fish prevails. Even her simple macaroni and cheese is a treasure; delightfully silky on the palate, while teasing with an enjoyably suggestive, albeit elusive, flavour. One secret, she admits, is celery, finely chopped to near invisibility. As for onion, a common ingredient in virtually all Caribbean dishes, Evelyn chides, “Oh, no. Onion makes food turn bad quickly. If you want a bit for later on, you can’t put onion.”
Evelyn is a simple, matronly woman with a comforting smile. “I always loved cooking, you know, because I grew up in a home where my parents cooked everything, from home-made bread to drinks. They loved cooking and were always doing something different, something adventurous.” How long has Evelyn been cooking? She dodges the answer with “a lot of years.”
Her career began out of need and a strong desire for independence. Back then, she was strictly a Georgetown woman, never venturing beyond the city. There, she cooked for “British High Commission bachelors” who came to Guyana for job stints. She adds with a chuckle, “and that is how it really started.”
In the 1970s, between one of these “bachelor” stints, Evelyn chanced to meet Mr and Mrs Max Jardin, and began cooking and running their house. Ultimately, that relationship led her to the banks of the Essequibo. “I knew nothing of this life, nothing of boats, the river, the forest. It was a different life altogether.” But with the fervour she brings to her famous cooking, Evelyn didn’t bat an eye about venturing into a new life.
After Mrs Jardin inherited Shanklands from her father, Evelyn says, they started going there, and slowly cleared and developed the land. “I came up and looked after the place and often cooked for the workmen. It was nothing but trees and bush then. I can’t use a cutlass, but I can use a hoe and I helped clear land, too.” When this resort first started, Mrs Jardin didn’t realise she was moving into tourism. “She put up a nice family home and another building for the many friends she had coming to visit. Then embassy staff and expatriates started asking to come out, and eventually we said, ‘why not venture into tourism?’” As the property developed and sprawled, staff facilities were erected and now, 30-odd years later, the staff all live on the property in a micro community. “We have a complement of nice staff,” Evelyn says, “and we all get along nicely.”
The peace of Shanklands soothes. From the open-air dining room and the many cottages dotting the landscape you hear a symphony of serenading birds. Evelyn won’t classify her cooking style; she says, “I don’t follow a recipe as such. I just put a little of this and that and come up with something. Like most Guyanese, I ‘season the pot’. So if you are going to do chicken, you marinate it in vinegar and garlic. Lime is for fish, and it gives your food a distinct taste. I try different ideas and come up with new things. You always taste before you serve, and you can’t put too much of one thing because you are cooking for other people. So you balance it to please. You present a nice taste that is never over-spiced.”
Everything is made at Shanklands: cakes, breads, drinks, all of it. Only local produce is used, much of it from the vast property planted by the Jardins over the years. While Evelyn remains seemingly hidden away in this remote area, it is where she wants to be. Although she is getting older now and is passing the mantle to the younger ones, she says, “It’s no sense stopping and just lazing around. I like to be independent and I love to cook. I think I will work until the Lord says ‘stop’.”
There is a philosophy at Shanklands, due in a large part to Evelyn herself. “We try hard to please our guests and to make them happy. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Whatever we do, we try to do it with a little love. I always put a little love into the pot.”
Evelyn’s Fine Fried Trout Fillet
2 lbs trout (cleaned and cut into 2-inch slices)
1 tsp mince thyme
2 tsp mince garlic
minced fresh pepper to taste
salt & black pepper to taste
2 eggs
flour for dusting
oil for deep frying
Method
Mix seasonings together and add to fish along with eggs. Leave for 15 to 20 minutes. Heat oil until hot. Lightly dust fish pieces in flour, then place them into oil. Fry for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and fry other side. Remove from skillet and drain on kitchen paper. Serve garnished with lime or lemon wedges. Serves 4-6 persons.
