Award-winning food writer
I am a lover of food, words and travel. I collect and create eclectic, evocative recipes from around the globe so I can travel from my kitchen when I'm back home in London.
In my writing, food is a means to explore culture and understand the world. My multi-award winning cookbooks have been published in the UK, US, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands and Russia.
A Whisper of Cardamom is my new book, out now - a sweet companion book to The Nutmeg Trail.
The Nutmeg Trail is about spice and its history; about flavours and how to use, combine and layer them; and it is full of as many new and favourite recipes that I could squeeze in. It has won and been shortlisted for a variety of international awards including winning best ‘International or Regional Cookbook’ at The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2023 and two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2023.
Fire Islands, my second book, charts the fresh and vibrant food of Indonesia. It is the winner of best ‘International or Regional Cookbook’ at The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2020, two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2020, bronze at the German Cookbook Awards, and ‘Food and Drink Book of the Year’ 2020 at the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, which celebrate world-class travel writing.
Samarkand, published in 2016, explores the foods of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Happily, it was received to wide acclaim and named a book of the year by The Guardian and Food52's Piglet. It was also awarded the ‘Food and Travel’ prize in 2017 by The Guild of Food Writers. I wrote it alongside my friend and travel journalist, Caroline Eden.
As a keen traveller, travelling slowly and overland when possible, I have visited 80 countries and sought out the best food in each of them. I have lived in the UK, Indonesia and Hong Kong. My writing focuses on making world cuisines accessible and capturing transportive flavours in home recipes.
With a background in food journalism and recipe editing, I have contributed to publications including BBC Good Food, House & Garden, Delicious, Olive, Food and Travel, Time Out, The Independent, Traveller and Wanderlust. I am a judge for the Great Taste Awards and the Academy of Chocolate.
I lecture regularly for The Smithsonian (Washington DC) on the topic of spice, and have given talks about food for many institutions including Cheltenham Literature Festival, Edinburgh Literary Festival, 92nd Street Y (New York), Omnivore Books (San Francisco), Now Serving (Los Angeles), Asia House (London), Fortnum & Mason (London), Stanfords (London) and JakTent (Jakarta).
Follow my adventures (and see what I’m cooking) on Instagram.
