FOR THE LOVE OF FOOD

On 28 February, Kalpna Woolf –an acclaimed food writer and charity founder –will publish her latest recipe book, Eat, Share, Love. Brimming with Bristolian stories, Kalpna tells us all about the myriad of food cuisines that make this city thrum with life and love

An award-winning food writer, entrepreneur, charity campaigner, and former head of production at the BBC, Kalpna Woolf is a well-known and highly respected figure on the food scene. During her 23 years at the corporation, she oversaw a number of popular television programmes starring internationally renowned chefs including Nigella Lawson, Nigel Slater, Rick Stein and the Hairy Bikers. In 2016, she brought her own passion and expertise in spices and health into her first cookbook – Spice Yourself Slim – which became a kitchen mainstay in its own right.

Over the years, Kalpna’s extraordinary appetite for hard work has been recognised by a clutch of national awards. Her mantelpiece supports The Guild of Food Writers Inspiration Award, BBC’s Food and Farming Food Hero Award and the Asian Women of Achievement Award – all of which earned her a rightful place on Waitrose Food Magazine’s list of 20 people Making the World a Better Place to Live and Eat in 2020.

Throughout her long and illustrious career, Kalpna’s genuine love for food has always shone through, but what’s more is her dedication to bringing diverse communities together, using the power of food to break down barriers. In 2015, she founded her Bristol-based charity 91 Ways, which draws on the 91 different languages spoken in the city and brings people closer together through a shared passion for food.

Kalpna’s latest book, Eat, Share, Love, calls on a number of brilliant Bristol ambassadors – famous figures as well as much-loved locals – to share their mouth-watering recipes from a myriad of food cuisines. Think berbere-spiced Eritrean stews, fragrant Iranian saffron rice, fresh Sudanese salads and Somali lamb huuris. These recipes alone would prize you from the quotidian and plunge you into the extraordinary, but this book goes one step further. With every dish comes an absorbing anecdote of rekindled memories –many of which reveal touching tales of love and loss, family and friendship, happiness and kindness. From romance blossoming over a tantalising Persian ghormeh sabzi to families gathering to make Moldovan cheese dumplings – this book is joyous, this book is warming, this book is Bristol. As perfectly summed up by Kalpna, this book “reminds us just how much our favourite foods actually mean to us, and that by the simple act of sharing our food and stories we can make unexpected connections with each other, which can bridge our cultural, religious and ethnic divides and bring us all closer together.”

Alongside Kalpna, who contributes several of her own family recipes and stories, Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of the County and City of Bristol, Peaches Golding OBE, shares her Thanksgiving Savoury Sweet Potato Bake; Michelin-star chef Josh Eggleton reveals his Nan’s Apple Pie (and Jam Turnover); and Bristol lawyer and nightclub owner, Marti Burgess, remembers the story behind her Portland Jerk Marinade. Each and every page is wonderfully illustrated with family photographs and Eat, Share, Love ultimately immortalises these beautiful Bristol lives in literature.

“The book is an opportunity for people who don’t normally get to voice who they are. I went back to who we are at 91 Ways and I realised that there doesn’t seem to be a space, particularly in the food world, to hear people’s stories – it is somehow always taken over by the same voices. We all have a story to tell – we absolutely do. The vivacity of this book is all about the joy of sharing them,” says Kalpna. “I don’t think there’s a book out there like Eat, Share, Love. The heart of Bristol is beating in this book and we can all connect to it. You can enjoy it, you can use it as a cookbook or you can sit and read the stories. I can guarantee you one thing – once you’ve read the stories and cooked the recipes, people’s memories will move with you – a chain of joy and love and understanding will be passed on through you, and that’s really what I want.”

We all have a story to tell – we absolutely do. The vivacity of this book is all about the joy of sharing them

• Eat, Share, Love by Kalpna Woolf will be published on 28 February. Purchase the book at: 91ways.org or mezepublishing.co.uk; £22 Ú

Above: “The cover is one of my first gold silk saris, which was given to me by my mum,” says Kalpna. Opposite page (clockwise from top left): Kalpna Woolf; Bristol-based Middle Eastern Supper Club member, Natasha Orson, shares her Grandma’s Kurdish Kufte Soup; Marti Burgess; Amina Jama, who first met Kalpna at a Refugee Women of Bristol event, tells us how to make her Somali Lamb Huuris

Recipe from the book: DRAGANA SMART’S BAYADERA

ABOUT DRAGANA

University of Bristol’s Deputy Head of Public Engagement

PREPARATION TIME

45 minutes, plus chilling time

COOKING TIME

10 minutes

INGREDIENTS (makes about 30 pieces) 100g unsalted butter 125g digestive biscuits 125g caster sugar 1 egg 125g ground almonds or walnuts 20g cocoa powder

For the chocolate glaze:

75g dark chocolate, broken up 15-30g sugar 125ml milk

DRAGANA’S STORY

For me, sharing food and recipes means extending a hand of friendship to other fellow beings, an invitation to share in those precious aspects of life: caring for each other, love and laughter. Sharing homemade food is also about giving something created with one’s own hands, passing on positive energy. I have selected a couple of recipes that typify Bosnia, the country I come from, a melting pot of civilisations, cultures and traditions. They are rooted in bountiful nature and the history that brought culinary influences from the Byzantine, Roman, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.

Generations of Bosnian women have transformed simple ingredients that nature provided into morsels of delight that we enjoy today. Among my most treasured possessions is a collection of recipes that my maternal and paternal grandmothers, my auntie and my mum gave me as I was leaving for the United Kingdom. Not only an expression of our culture and identity, evoking the taste of sun-kissed summers and snow-swept winters, they are also a connection to strong women in my family, who knew how to keep their families going through huge historical events affecting their lives. They are a testament to continuity and hope. It is these handwritten recipes that I consulted for this book, selecting two dishes that will nourish your body and soul.

This elegant yet simple sweet treat is a perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee and a chat with a friend. It is one of my maternal grandmother’s favourite recipes, often part of a larger selection of small fancies. There is no baking involved and it’s quite quick to make.

METHOD

1. Leave the butter to stand at room temperature until soft while you crush the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs. With a handheld mixer, combine the soft butter with the sugar in a bowl. Add the egg and continue mixing until incorporated, then add the biscuit crumbs and ground nuts. Mix well.

2. Put half the biscuit mixture into another bowl, add the cocoa powder to the remaining half and mix until fully blended. Grease a 20 by 20cm tin and sprinkle some breadcrumbs or extra biscuit crumbs over the base to make it easier to take the bayaderas out. Spread the cocoa crumb mixture into the prepared tray and place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up slightly.

3. Once cooled, spread the remaining crumb mixture on top and place in the fridge for another 10 minutes. In the meantime, make the chocolate glaze. Put the chocolate, milk and sugar into a heatproof bowl with a splash of water and melt the mixture over a saucepan of simmering water until the consistency is smooth and even. Leave the glaze to cool off the heat.

4. Take the tray out of the fridge and pour the chocolate glaze over the top as the final layer. Tilt the tray from side to side until the glaze has evenly covered the entire surface. Leave in the fridge to cool down for a few hours, or even overnight. Keep chilled and when you’re ready to serve the bayadera, cut into small rectangles (about 5cm by 2cm) and serve with coffee or after dinner. ■