The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table

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She’s already working on another cookbook and at the time of writing is about to announce a joint project with Miquita and a mum-daughter podcast following on from the success of her own Radio 4 podcast, One Dish. Professionally, she is truly in her prime – despite having had major surgery, a hysterectomy, last July. Now lightly oil your hands again and divide the dough into 6-8 equal portions. Lightly oil a work surface and flatten each portion out into a rough circle with the palm of your hand.

In conversation with her daughter, TV presenter Miquita Oliver, Andi reveals the deeply personal journey of writing her first cookbook, reconnecting with the food she grew up eating, and the vibrant flavours and cherished ingredients that speak to her Antiguan British and broader Caribbean heritage and run through her heart and soul. Milner said: “I’ve longed to publish the one and only Andi Oliver for so many years. Her love of food is infectious and leaps out at you through her writing – this is truly a dream come true for me. I’m so grateful to Andi, Jess and their whole team for trusting me with this, her first ever cookbook, and I’m determined to make sure that it finds a place in every enthusiastic cook’s home. The Pepperpot Diaries will be a giant of a cookbook.” Andi Oliver’s deeply personal exploration of Caribbean food showcasing both traditional and new recipes, cherished ingredients, and vibrant flavors from across the region Leave to cool, then transfer to a sealed jar or container and store in the fridge to use as needed. The chutney should keep well for 3–4 weeks.You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2. Add the vinegar, sugar, cumin seeds, peppercorns, bay leaf, and 3 1/2 tablespoons of water to a medium saucepan. Warm through over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. For the sweet pastry, place the butter, flour, sugar, ground almonds and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks a bit like breadcrumbs. Tip in the eggs, one by one, pulsing with each addition until the dough has just formed. Her visibility as a woman is not just significant within the television industry but also the food industry as a whole, an area Oliver agrees has a way to go in terms of its treatment of women. “I think that as women we are patronised in the kitchen,” she tells me. “I’ve definitely been in a situation where I’ve been with two older white men – I’m not talking about Oliver and Matthew by the way (Oliver’s GBM colleagues) – and they will give their opinion about, say, how a piece of fish is cooked. And I’m like ‘I like this fish, I think it’s cooked well and I’m enjoying it.’ They’re like ‘It’s not that,’ and I’m like ‘Mate, I’ve told you what I think. You think something else. You being 75 and an old white man doesn’t make you more right than me.’ Put the prawns in a medium bowl and add all the marinade ingredients. Mix well and rub the marinade into the prawns with your hands so that all the prawns are well coated. Refrigerate and leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.

Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan with 80ml of water. Set over a medium-low heat and warm through, stirring now and again, until everything is melted and combined. Serve immediately, garnished with the coriander, alongside the rice or bread of your choice. Green seasoning Through her travels in Antigua, Andi shares her deeply personal journey on reconnecting with the food she grew up eating - the flavours and ingredients that run through her heart and soul - and what the future might hold for Caribbean cookery.

When you return to the dough, punch it down gently with your hand, then leave for a further 10-15 minutes to rest. The great thing about becoming famous in your 50s, she says, is that it doesn’t drive you mad: you can enjoy the work, but you see it for what it is: “If this had happened to me when I was younger, I’d be dead by now.” Oliver may be the biggest thing on food TV these days, presenting Great British Menu for a third series – she’s fast-talking, deeply knowledgeable, engaged, at ease and earthy, with a refreshing inquisitiveness. She asks so many questions, puzzling over ways to stop the mayonnaise separating in a cheese toastie, on the Channel 4 show Food Unwrapped. The Pepperpot Diaries is Andi Oliver's long-awaited first cookbook. Showcasing both traditional and new recipes, cherished ingredients and vibrant flavours from across the Caribbean, let Andi Oliver take you on an exploration of identity and heritage as she shows you how to create simple yet sensational dishes that will bring the unbeatable flavours of Caribbean cooking to your table.

For Andi Oliver, food is about so much more than just the sum of its parts. Throughout my conversation with the TV host, chef, writer and musician we end up on multiple tangents talking about the origins of how a particular dish came about. Did you know barbecue was invented by indigenous Caribbeans? I didn’t. Oliver does. She fills me in on how it’s a Taíno word, and the fact that it was taken to Latin America which is how we got the word – and the dish – barbacoa.Toss the fried aubergine in half of the orange, ginger, and chilli syrup (keeping the rest in a sealed container in the fridge for other recipes) and serve it up. Recovery was supposed to take six months. Andi gave herself six weeks, her only concession was a little room with a bed, duvet and fridge, created for her on the set of the Great British Menu in case she needed to retreat from filming for an hour or two.

Before they talk, DJs spin some of Andi Oliver's favourite music in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, where you can also buy some of her very own food and drink recipes from The Pepperpot Diaries. There’s something about garnering success as you get older that means you’re ready for it,’ she says. ‘I feel a lot of things would have been overwhelming when I was younger.’ Put all the biscuits (ginger snaps and Hobnobs) in a sealable food bag and bash them up to fine crumbs using a rolling pin or similar.For access to the Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium seating rows A to C and wheelchair spaces in the Front Stalls, please enter via the Artists' Entrance in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road (Level 1). Award-winning TV chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver has written her first ever cookbook The Pepperpot Diaries for DK. Using a 12cm cookie cutter or a bowl of the same size, cut out 10 circles of pastry. Carefully line each of the fluted tart tins with a piece of pastry, making sure it fits snugly into the corners. Pop a piece of baking parchment over each piece of pastry and fill each case with baking beans. Blind bake the tart cases in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. DK said: “ The Pepperpot Diaries is Andi’s long-awaited first cookbook. This deeply personal exploration of Caribbean food will showcase both traditional and new recipes from Andi’s table, recipes that embody cherished ingredients and vibrant flavours from across the region. The Pepperpot Diaries is also an exploration of identity; alongside delicious and achievable recipes, Andi’s diary entries from time spent in Antigua reveal her personal experiences and memories of Caribbean cooking. The story of food captured in this book will take readers on a journey around the melting pot of cultural influences, history and heritage that has uniquely shaped traditional and contemporary Caribbean cuisine.”