We visited Notting Hill Carnival yesterday for the first time, having just missed it last year by moving from Oxford to London in September. I had no idea whatsoever about the sheer scale of the event and I have since found out that it is the second largest street party in the world, after the Rio Carnival in Brazil. The floats and costumes were really very impressive and our small party could be found dancing in the streets until the light started fading and the rum ran dry. There were many stalls selling Caribbean food and I couldn’t resist trying some Jerk chicken after my recent visit to the Jerk Cookout Festival. I have to say, the carnival Jerk was nowhere near as good, the flavour of the Scotch Bonnet chillies was not there and neither was the depth of spicy sweet flavour so particular to the Jerk seasoning. We did try some fried dumplings however, which were very good, crispy outer coating, with a sweet and fluffy inside and a hint of nutmeg. Chris ate his with a large dollop of hot pepper sauce on the side. Very moreish indeed.