As an artist-researcher within INIVA’s Research Network programme, If Sea is History? – What is Nation?, I explored Afro-Caribbean supermarkets as sites of nationhood and cultural identity for Black British communities. 

Thyme After Thyme was the inaugural salon of the Artist’s Kitchen Salon series, where programme participants and guests came together to gather, present and share their research over a shared meal. For my menu, I chose thyme as a site of enquiry because it is present in dishes across the diaspora, can be found at any Afro-Caribbean supermarket and was spread via colonialism. Every dish incorporated thyme—from welcome drinks to starter, main, and dessert. Dried thyme was also used as a spiritual cleanser in the opening grounding ceremony, linking ritual, memory, and the senses. Guests engaged with the aroma, taste, and texture of thyme while immersed in a soundscape evoking Rye Lane, a Southeast London hub for Afro-Caribbean supermarkets.

The menu and environment highlighted tensions between diaspora identity, nationhood, and access to culturally significant foods. Attendees were encouraged to bring items from local Afro-Caribbean supermarkets to donate to Brixton People’s Kitchen, addressing the fact that culturally specific foods are often absent from food banks and community kitchens.

Thyme After Thyme invited reflection, storytelling, and cultural connection while interrogating systems of visibility, belonging, and equity, positioning food as a tool for research, dialogue, and care.