UP CLOSE in Tooting: Nettie starts family Carribean kitchen after 20 years of being a carer, with some help from her kids

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A local Tooting mother has started her own mobile kitchen after working as a carer for nearly 20 years.

Nettie's Caribbean Mobile Kitchen (Nettie's CMK for short), located at 96 Upper Tooting Road (next to the Kings Head pub) is well and truly a family business. Annette Pearce-Edwards, 56, runs the shop and cooks the food, with a little help from her children and husband.

After a turbulent end to her career as a carer, her son, Dane Ellis, said enough was enough and decided to help his mum get off the ground in something she has always wanted to do - run a Caribbean food business.

As a result, business owner Dane ended up buying the trailer for his mum before her husband Cedric Edwards, 60, towed it all the way from Manchester. The 34-year-old also helped get the trailer designed, gain the licensing and can even be seen regularly at Nettie's CMK serving up jerk chicken or curry goat.

It's not just Dane who lends his hand either, Nettie's husband and children all chip in. Whether that's on the shop front, helping with accounting, or running the social media. Cedric actually helps his wife open up in the morning before he goes off to work. As Dane puts it, "it's well and truly a family affair".

The food is also delicious. Nettie was kind enough to share much of the menu with us and it was so tasty and succulent. We tried the jerk fish, jerk chicken, curry goat, rice and peas and beet punch and let's just there was nothing left on the plate afterwards, but more on that later.

Nub News spoke to Annette, who told us about this business and its origins.

How the business started

Annette had been a carer for nearly 20 years and ended up losing her job in the midst of the pandemic. It had always been a dream of hers to run a restaurant, however, given the current climate and the risks involved in starting that off, it was decided that a mobile kitchen would be better.

"At first I wanted a restaurant - something like a shop - but that is unaffordable", she said.

"Because of lockdown, I was out of a job. So I thought, why must I work people, why not go and work for yourself.

"At the same time, a trailer was being sold in Manchester but I haven't go any money. But my son said, "Mummy, let me go to Manchester and have a look at it".

"And he said: 'you know what Mum - it's yours'".

The trailer was bought back last October, however, only in the past few weeks has it managed to get up and running. In fact, after a long time trying to find a home for the trailer Nettie even thought about selling up and starting a restaurant, but Dane reminded her that this may not be the best idea.

"We couldn't find anywhere in London. I applied to the council and I couldn't find myself a permanent place.

"I said I was going to sell it, but my son was like, 'I'm not letting you sell it. This is yours. If you get a shop what about when you don't have money to pay for it'".

Nevertheless, the hard work of the family prevailed, and they were eventually able to find a location on Upper Tooting Road - an ideal location that is close to the family home.

'I see a future right here'

While the business is still yet to fully flourish, Nettie is just glad to be up and running, even if it is hard work.

She said: "I'm not complaining. I tell myself if I sell one plate of food it's great.

"You know, you have good days and bad days. It's a good community and a few people really support it. I see a future right here.

"I have a lot of experience with cooking. I have been cooking from a very early age, and people who know me know I can cook.

"I always enjoy it - cooking's a passion. I've had the passion for cooking and baking from a very young age.

"My specialities is rice and peas with jerk chicken. It's always jerk chicken with a Jamaican - everywhere you go, it's always jerk chicken.

"The thing is you have a lot of people who say they do jerk chicken and they put it in the oven and call it that. That is oven-baked jerk, this on the barbeque.

"Every morning I wake up at half five and jerk my chicken.

"It's not an easy role - but I don't mind working for what you want. You will always see myself, jerking myself away! (laughs)".

Annette's previous career

Before the kitchen was up and running, Annette was at a stage with caring where she had been overworked and mistreated. In fact, at one point during the pandemic, she went 12 weeks without seeing anyone from her home because she was looking after someone who was vulnerable.

"I was a carer and been a carer for nearly 20 years and I was good at what I did.

"During the pandemic, I had to look after a boy and mother and was doing a two-person job. I spent 12 weeks there in lockdown, I just wanted to go outside and have a walk and I couldn't.

"I told her when the country starts to open up that I can't stay here, I need to go home. I have spent 12 weeks without seeing anyone from home."

Nettie then disputed with her employers that this wasn't fair. She says that her children were cut-up about what had happened to her during the process and said enough was enough. This was when the process began for Nettie's Mobile Caribbean Kitchen.

The kitchen and the food

The kitchen is usually open from 9am-8pm, Monday-Saturday, however, on special occasions it will be open on Sundays, so worth checking the website , Twitter or Instagram page.

The menu is pretty versatile and has even has a separate breakfast menu, which you can read from the website.

When we arrived we asked for a bit of everything and that's what we were given. There was a friendly vibe about the place and Nettie and Dane were chatty - you can very much tell it's a family-run business.

And the food was gorgeous. We had a bit of everything and none of it disappointed at all; it was fresh, juicy and the portion sizes were great.

Firstly we tried the beet punch drink - a sweet Jamaican beetroot drink. This was lovely and refreshing, the perfect partner for our meal.

Despite being given an incredibly generous amount of food, it was all gone quickly. The chicken was smokey, tender and tasty and the rice and peas were perfect.

However, our personal favourite was the curry goat. It was so hearty and flavoursome. The meat would just fall apart upon touching it and it was a whole lot of creamy, fiery deliciousness. We would 100 per cent recommend it and will definitely be coming back for more.

If you ever get the chance, please go down and support this family business - you won't be disappointed.

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