Latest news with #SabrinaGhayour
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Sabrina Ghayour: ‘We all have less time, we all have less money, we all have people to feed'
British-Iranian chef Sabrina Ghayour reckons many Persian dishes can be made much simpler for the home cooks. 'Lots of stuff is just shrouded in tradition, and tradition can go back generations to when they didn't have electricity or didn't have commercial cleaning of food. So, why is it essential to have four pots on the stove for a Persian stew? No, I've done it all in one pot and it works.' The 49-year-old, who shot to critical acclaim with her debut cookbook Persiana in 2014 and has since published seven more, adds: 'Auntie would say, 'I'm telling you, I've been doing this for 45 years'. You get told by your mother you cannot do this any other way and then someone like me comes along, who is a bit lazy and loves a shortcut. Advertisement 'I'm thinking, 'Why can't you do it this way? Screw it, we'll try it'. That's how a lot of my Persian and traditional recipes are perfected. 'I know what changes I can make and which would compromise flavour and which wouldn't, so I'm thinking, let's make it easier. We don't need to soak rice 500 times.' Her latest cookbook, Persiana Easy, sticks to the Persian food we know and love her for (think brunch kuku, mutton raan and polow), alongside dishes from near and not so near regions, like Lebanese Hashweh next to Pakistani-style Biryani, Indian smashed crispy potato chaat and Egyptian koshari. But this time, stripped back and simpler. Photo: Kris Kirkham. Ghayour's food is often cited as Middle Eastern, but the term doesn't always feel right to her. 'It's not that I don't like it, it's just a bit broad. It's like calling English food European,' she suggests. 'I just think sometimes we generalise it and go, yeah, the Middle East. Because idiots like me cook recipes from Morocco and Turkey, and then they get batched in with my books. Of course, neither of them are in the Middle East.' Advertisement Her recipe ideas do derive from far and wide though; 'My uncle's Pakistani, my other uncle is Afghani – I grew up with all influences… [and] there's a lot of Persian influence in lots of other countries, we got around, the Persian empire.' Self-taught from the age of five ('My mum can't cook at all, no one taught me, I just watched telly') Ghayour grew up trying things out in the kitchen, eventually launching 'Sabrina's Kitchen' supper clubs from her London flat, and is now a regular on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen as well as Channel 4's Sunday Brunch. The fact that she's a home cook, rather than a professional restaurant chef, isn't a disadvantage though, she says. 'You're providing value from what you're asking [cookbook readers] to buy, if they don't already have it – that's because I'm a home cook, so when I do recipe tests that I'm staring at in my kitchen, and I realise that's actually not a weakness, that's a strength. I'm always using the same things in my kitchen. So that's kind of given me confidence.' Advertisement (Kris Kirkham/PA) She's 'not afraid' to use the same store cupboard ingredients over and again. 'Sometimes you'll have recipes of mine that will maybe have, let's say, eight ingredients, but six of them are the same. The key ingredient and something else is different, they taste totally different to one another,' she says. 'I used to think that made me a bit of a charlatan or an imposter, and then I realised, actually that's really good because people [at home] are using the same ingredients. So you're asking them to buy and they're using them up.' The most important things are probably already in your pantry anyway, including; good sea salt ('Good salt makes everything taste good in the absence of any other spice') pepper ('a very key spice – I use it as more than just a seasoning'), chilli flakes, oregano, garlic granules and curry powder, she suggests. 'In God's honest truth, most of the Persian and Middle Eastern ingredients are readily available in supermarkets – and yes, in the last 10 years, pomegranate molasses, sumac, and all these things have been added to that.' Now based in York, Ghayour tied the knot in 2021 and became part of a bigger family. 'After Covid and getting married and now a stepmum, life has changed. Advertisement 'I literally cook every single day, I cook three meals every day. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sabrina Ghayour-Lynn (@sabrinaghayour) 'We all have less time, we all have less money, we all have people to feed – there's so many reasons to keep things pared-down as much as possible. I'm certainly more pared-down [rather] than hunting after the authentic version of something.' So many of her recipes are easier versions of classics, while others are entirely made up – take the hummus soup, for example. 'I'm always trying to come up with soups because we're a big soup house, especially my mother and mother-in-law, they live off soup. 'I think any cuisine that you haven't done before, people will perceive to be difficult to make,' Ghayour says, but her aim is to provide a calming voice in the kitchen. 'Because cooking is confidence. It's not even about the food, it's about how straightforward was it for me to convey my recipe to you? Calm you down in the process, tell you there's nothing to worry about, you don't need to do this, you don't need to do that. It's fine.' Advertisement 'I've purposely written that calm into every intro in all of my books.' Photo: Mitchell Beazley/PA.
North Wales Live
08-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
I paid a visit to a North Wales seaside resort's unique garden centre and café
A garden centre and cafe with a difference was officially opened last month. Bryn Euryn Nursery and Café in Dinerth Road in Rhos-on-Sea had already been operating for some time - but the site may have flown under the radar for some. So what can customers expect? This garden centre and café, with an adjoining shop, provides employment mentoring to people with disabilities wanting to get into paid work. Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, Conwy Council's Leader, has said he is proud that investment by the local authority, with extra money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, will enable the team to help people with learning disabilities to learn useful skills. The nursery and cafe are at the very bottom of Dinerth Road, before you get to the underpass, and the site is well-signposted. Around the corner, in fact, is Bron-y-Nant Cemetery by Colwyn Bay Crematorium and Mochdre Recycling Centre. You can park on Dinerth Road, although it's quite a slope. You can walk straight down a ramp or steps to the nursery itself or go through the shop into a bright, colourful cafe. There are lots of square tables in blue, green, orange, pink and yellow so there are plenty of places to sit. I went to the counter and was told meals weren't being served due to a staffing issue, I believe. But coffee and cake were available. There were lots of "homemade" scones, bara brith and other desserts. So I chose a slice of vanilla sponge cake with mixed berries, paid and sat down by the window. When the waitress came over the cake tasted light and soft. It was very pleasant although I would have liked a thicker piece. A latte washed it down which was fine. The menu shows they normally serve traditional fare with some nice touches. For breakfast you can have a breakfast bap for £6 - comprising bacon, sausage, tomato, hashbrown and an egg - or cheesey beans in a slice of bloomer toast for £4.50. For lunch there are sandwiches and lite bites, including Welsh rarebit (£5), or layered hummus (£6), topped with red onion, tomato, pomegranate and coriander with crispy bread. There is also a Speciality Ciabatta with Italian meats, mozzarella, pickles, rocket and mustard (£7). Or try a Reuben one (for £7) with thin beef, cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. The cafe itself is in a large, hangar like room. Colourful paper balls dangle above the window and ribbons are festooned across the ceiling. It looks like there's been a permanent party. I particularly liked the coffee table, cookery style books left on each table for you to peruse. On mine was Sabrina Ghayour's Persiana Everyday with recipes for dishes like Bazaar, spiced, chickpea & feta salad, and Sticky tamarind, garlic and tomato green beans. On another table was Mary Berry's "Classic" recipe book. There were lots of ideas for amateur cooks to take inspiration from: Pan-fried cauliflower steaks, anyone? But I think that the main attractions of an informal lunch or coffee break at Bryn Euryn are the purpose of this place and its setting. Not only are you supporting the staff to mentor those needing a helping hand, you can do so while enjoying the wonderful array of plants on sale. Wandering around the adjoining nursery before or after the food is a lovely thing to do. It puts you in a good mood and soothes you. In the shop are a plethora of seed packets on sale - spinach, radish, kohl rabi and so on - as well as pots of freesias and sweet peas. Outside, below a terrace, there are a range of products on display from Cordyline to orange, climbing sunblaze roses. The facts Location: Bryn Euryn Nursery and Cafe, Dinerth Road, Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy, LL28 4YN is open from 9.30pm till 4pm most days. 01492 577530.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Everything you need to know about Nowruz, Persian New Year
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). The United Nations has marked 21 March as International Nowruz Day, commemorating a holiday that sees millions around the world eating, dancing and furiously spring-cleaning the house from top-to-toe. Nowruz, meaning 'new day' in Persian, falls on the first day of the Persian calendar (around the same time as the Spring Equinox), and observes the end of darkness and the rebirth of nature. Here's the 101 on a celebration that's withstood multiple conquests and the test of time. Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is a 3,000-year-old celebration of spring, rooted in the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. It begins on the first day of the Iranian calendar, usually on or around 20 March, or Spring Equinox, and lasts for 13 days. With deep reverence for fertility, nature and new beginnings, it's celebrated by around 300 million people across Iran, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, as well as in Kurdish, Turkic Uyghur and Parsi communities worldwide. Festivities typically involve large gatherings of friends and family, street festivals, bonfires, fireworks, poetry and folk music. In Afghanistan and Central Asia, games originating in nomadic communities are popular, while in Iran, khane tekani (spring cleaning) marks the start of festivities. But the common denominator is food — and lots of it. Most spreads will include a haft-sin, a display of seven ingredients beginning with the letter 'S' in their local language. Each symbolises a different concept, such as health (garlic), patience (vinegar) and beauty (apple) in Iran. You can also expect an elaborate tray with sabzeh (lentil sprouts grown specially for Nowruz), nuts, sweets, dried fruits and colourfully painted eggs. On the last day of Nowruz, Iranians host special picnics to mark the end of the previous year, while in Kazakhstan, locals build yurts in which they lay out tables of rich food. In Iran, typical dishes include kookoo sabzi (a herby frittata), sabzi polo ba mahi (rice with herbs and fried fish) and reshteh polo (aromatic rice and noodles). Plov, the rice-based national dish of Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, is at the heart of most Nowruz gatherings, with countless variations on meat, vegetables and spices. In Azerbaijan, fragrant kebabs and dolma (stuffed vine leaves) are popular, along with sweets such as baklava and shekerbura (moon-shaped pastry with sugar, nuts and cardamom). In Uzbekistan, sumalak (a sweet pudding made with sprouted wheat) is made in giant cauldrons. Afghans cook sabzi challow (a spinach and lamb curry), followed by desserts including kolcheh nowrozi (rice flour biscuits) and haft mewa (a dried fruit salad in syrup). For Kazakhs, Nowruz almost always involves nauryz kozhe (a soup of barley, horse meat and milk). For Persian recipes, Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour and The Saffron Tales by Yasmin Khan are great options. For Central Asian and Azerbaijani flavours, check out Samarkand by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford. And for Afghan dishes, see Parwana by Durkhanai Ayubi. Bergamot, Plateful Cafe, Berenjak and Tehran-Berlin are among many London restaurants offering Nowruz-themed menus and supper clubs. Options elsewhere in the UK include Konj Cafe in Edinburgh and Parisa Events in Cardiff. Published in Issue 26 (winter 2024) of Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
