Acknowledgements

Thank you, Jan and Borra, my agents at DML, for taking a punt on me on the strength of your gut feeling and a grainy YouTube video. Also Grace and Becci, at Nourish, for giving this book the dignity of their focus and passion; to Georgie, Lara, Aya and Linda, for making it look great; and to Wendy, thank you for being the warmest, most intelligent and patient editor that any author could wish for.

My love for food and my obsession with feeding those I love comes from my mother, father, Monmon and AK. They are the ones I phone first thing in the morning, mid afternoon and last thing at night, when inevitably we discuss the issues of food and family with grit and gusto. Latterly, Anyu came into my life with her Hungarian kitchen wizardry, and I thank God that he thought my life was not yet studded with enough fantastic foodies. I wrote this book for India, Tia, Shona, Mirren and Nayan so that these priceless kernels of food knowledge, gleaned from these precious elders, can be theirs forever.