Fish, pork lead Christmas food sales surge – City vendors

Vendors reported brisk trade in fish and pork on Christmas Eve as shoppers rushed to secure traditional Yuletide fare, with particularly strong demand for marlin and roasting joints.

At RainForest Foods in Swan Street, Team Lead Supervisor Kemoya Archer said customers had been streaming in since early December.

“It has been a rush, we have been holding our own, nobody came in and were turned away,” she said.

“There has been a rush from as early as the start of the month. Some people don’t want to miss out on items and they stock up bit by bit. There are those shopping around their working hours and rushed in today,” Archer explained, noting that white and blue marlin were the most sought-after items.

In Cheapside Market, butcher Kadeem Layne of DL Prestige Farm and Meats Ltd described a similar uptick in custom: “Sales have been the same this year as most years. It started off slow in the beginning of last week and around Saturday things picked up; the market was full throughout the day.”

Layne reported strong demand from both Barbadian and Caribbean nationals, with Barbadians favouring pork for roasts whilst shoppers from Jamaica and Guyana sought ingredients for pepperpot, including beef, cow heel, cow face, and oxtail.

“Around this time of year is a very busy and tiring time and we are grateful,” Layne added, following what vendors described as a successful holiday trading period.