We first hear from Nour and James, founders of The Great Oven. They build giant community ovens and donate them to those in need. I would happily read anything Niki Segnit cares to write: a shopping list, a birthday card, and most definitely this, her third book. It follows on from her first – and classic – book, The Flavour Thesaurus, focussing this time on plant-based flavour combinations, and how and why they work. Segnit clearly wants us to feel the joy of understanding and playing with flavours as deeply as she does. As beautiful, lively and humorous as the writing may be, this is a serious, scholarly resource that should always be near the kitchen. I read it, smiling, in a single day, incapable of doing anything else until it was finished. I didn’t know that… Lime leaf salt would have quite such a transformative effect on a tomato salad. Photographs by Kristin Perers Next we hear from my lovely friend Danika who works unaccompanied minors in Paris. Her approach to humanitarian work has always inspired me. Alarnab’s favorite London restaurants include Berenjak, a Persian restaurant in Soho, as well as Club Mexicana, which serves up Mexican-inspired vegan dishes.

Alarnab also adapted a few recipes to make them gluten-free or vegan. He says he enjoys the creativity that comes with making these kinds of adjustments. He also likes sampling other cultures’ dishes. Copenhagen-based chef Trine Hahnemann has been writing outstanding food books for a good while, and this is no exception. Focusing on uncomplicated, seasonal recipes that might entice us on a midweek evening, Hahnemann refuses to compromise on quality, only the faff; whether it’s the roast pork loin in vermouth, the chicory, salmon and blood orange salad, or the autumn pear pie with hazelnut pastry, you know it’s going to deliver. The design is as pleasing and straightforward as the recipes. Before long, Alarnab was spending weekends cooking up a storm at weddings and birthday parties – an experience he describes as “absolutely beautiful.” Amid this is an extensive series of recipes that offer a bustling tour of Syrian cuisine. Many of the dishes that have become signatures at Alarnab’s London restaurant feature, including the falafel, which are strikingly shaped with hole in the middle for a ‘crispier texture’. There are six chapters to the book in total, covering spice mixes, recipe basics, starters, mains, desserts and drinks. This is such a helpful book: the detail and organisation build a sense of understanding, working in confidence-building steps from what you know and like to a broader world of flavour and pleasure. It’s written in a bright, friendly tone, and I loved the mix of personal, historic and culinary.

In the run up to interviewing Imad I read loads of articles about his story. In some he spoke about the 65 days he spent living in Calais, holding on to the underside of lorries trying to get to the UK. But most importantly I remember him talking about how cooking was always a part of his journey. How a British Pakistani volunteer had given him a small stove and gas canisters so he could cook for himself and 14 friends. How he didn’t want to carry a knife and appear dangerous so he broke the vegetables up with his hands, and how a local Calais resident had been annoyed with them fishing close by, until one day Imad offered him some of the dish he had made with the fish, and from then on, he allowed Imad and his friends to charge their phones at his house. I didn’t know that… Potato pancakes are a Norwegian tradition at weddings. Photography by Columbus Leth. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is part recipe book, part human story about how a successful businessman found himself fleeing for his life, crossing 10 countries, and turned by necessity into an illegal immigrant in the UK. By some turns of good fortune and enormous resilience, he rebuilt his life and that of his family, and opened an excellent restaurant where diners can enjoy his Syrian menu. Now, readers can try out some of the recipes at home too which will take you from a range of marvellous meze and salads, through mains and onto dessert. The book is worth buying simply to read Imad’s story and to understand more about his terrifying journey from Damascus to London, to think about holding those we love close and to take nothing in life for granted, but to be grateful for every privilege we enjoy. Then cook some of Imad’s life-enhancing food. Imad’s Syrian Kitchen (HQ) is no ordinary cookbook in the way that the restaurant of the same name is no ordinary eatery. Situated in Kingsley Court, Carnaby Street, the restaurant is in the heart of vibrant London, where counter-culture has been the rage for decades. Kingsley Court boasts a number of ethnic restaurants, some so popular that tables need to be booked weeks ahead. I went to eat at Imad’s Syrian Kitchen mostly because I wanted to support the restaurateur who moved to London but not out of the desire to travel the world. Imad Alarnab is a refugee whose courage and fortitude have enabled him to set up a new life in the UK. Where once he served food to diners in his three restaurants plus juice bars and cafes in Damascus, he now does so in London. His newly published cookbook, subtitled a love letter from Damascus to London, tells his story.

While the cauli roasted, I made shurabat ends (red lentil soup). An odd choice you might think for mid-summer but since London is having a dismal few weeks of rain, I am wearing my fleece and happily eating hot soup. I simply adore soup and no day is too hot to eat a bowl in my view. Next, I made a vegan moussaka. I never make moussaka the traditional way because I don’t often cook meat at home and the required béchamel sauce is a faff, but this was a Syrian moussaka which is much less work and I put it together with ease in my lunch hour. This was served with sahan khudra, otherwise known as the green plate – Turkish green peppers, onion, herbs, spring onion and so on, the idea is that you help yourself to items from the green plate while eating your meal. Complete with heartfelt stories, stunning photography, and beautiful illustrations, Imad's Syrian Kitchen features 90 sensational recipes celebrating the flavors of Syria. I didn’t know that… Olfactory memory (the personal recollection of aromas) is key; tomme de savoie tastes like strawberry laces to Emma. While his restaurant is booked solid every weekend for the next few months, Alarnab warns that the industry faces an uncertain future. “There is a huge demand from customers but a lot of places face very serious staff shortages – we had to hire a whole new team for this opening.”Imad’s Syrian Kitchen is divided into chapters which are interspersed with further details about Imad’s journey to the UK as well as information about Syrian cuisine. Amidst the recipes are essays about his love of Damascus, his love for his wife and daughters, and a moving piece about his beloved mother who died shortly after he left Damascus. Alarnab says working with charities “just adds to the business. It doesn’t take anything from it.” Born in Kenya to Indian parents, Ravinder Bhogal – food writer and chef/owner of restaurant Jikoni – developed an early love of vegetables from her grandfather’s “Edenic” allotment and marveling at the produce of local women growers. This lively and engaging vegetarian book shares that love and revels in Bhogal’s belief that “vegetables are the soul of the kitchen… [offering] endless opportunities for play.” The recipes deliver on that: hot and sour sweetcorn risotto with lime leaf butter and mango and ‘golden coin’ curry are among the many that insist on being made. Bhogal moved to multicultural London at an early age, and everything about Comfort and Joy reflects the richness of her heritage and experience (turn to pxx for my interview with her to learn more). You won’t find much that you can easily categorise, but if you like the idea of modern, inventive and cross-cultural recipes, written with warmth and love, there’s no-one doing it quite like Bhogal.