Olia Hercules

One of our favourite story-telling food writers joins us for the first time in Edinburgh to introduce and cook from her new book, Home Food: Recipes to Comfort and Connect. Olia Hercules has become a fierce and passionate activist since the war on Ukraine began and has set up the global movement #cookforukraine.

Her wonderful cookbooks, Mamushka, Kaukasis and Summer Kitchens tell the human stories behind the rich culinary history of Ukraine and beyond. In Home Food she brings us the food that unites no matter where we are from and where we end up.

Personal and deeply affecting, Olia distills a lifetime of kitchen curiosity into her most loved recipes. She draws on her broad influences from the places she has called home: her childhood in Ukraine; her years in Cyprus and Italy; her simple, plant-centric family meals in London; and the special festive recipes she has gleaned along the way. The recipes are nostalgic like Potatoes of my Childhood, they are trade secrets like Pasta with Confit Garlic, they interweave every day like Joe’s Beetroot, Cornichon, Feta and Potatoes, and they make everything okay like Life-giving Rhubarb Cake. These recipes have been hand written, handed down and shared among friends. Dotted with vignettes from fellow chefs and food writers that explore different meanings and associations of home, this new book offers irresistible recipes, charming storytelling and boundless heart.

Join us with our friends at the Ukrainian Community Centre for a wonderful evening filled with demos, tasters, and a glass of something.