To test that the poussins are cooked, pull away at the legs – they should come away easily and the juices should run clear.

This book is a fine presentation of the most wonderful and distinctively delicate and flavourful (unfortunately lesser known) cuisine of Ukraine and beyond.Olia Hercules was born in Ukraine and lived in Cyprus for 5 years before moving to London to study a BA in Italian language, followed by an MA in Russian and English. Olia Hercules has a voice that is vibrant and original (without striving to be so) and it is impossible not to read these recipes, and her introductions to them, without itching to get into the kitchen and cook; the recipe I’ve selected below shows you just what I mean. She kicked off her culinary career working at London's Union Market before landing her dream job as a chef-departie for Ottolenghi's.

Like many first-time cookery books that make their mark robustly and deservedly, this one came out of left field: a personal collection of recipes from Ukraine, with influences from Russia, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova, Mamushka is a book that isn’t about trends but about telling stories, my favourite sort of cookbook. It was still amazing and well worth the work of chopping, grating and matchsticking all the veggies. Ukraine itself is vast, with quite different climates in the north, south east and west – so rationally you would expect different regional cuisines. She kicked off her culinary career working at Fulham's Union Market with Aaron Craze before landing her dream job as chef-de-partie at Ottolenghi's.My parents were survivors of the Holocaust from Poland--this wasn't exactly something I grew up with. I've never made a bread that is has cheese inside (the flatbread has feta cheese incorporated plus herbs) and I loved the result. cooking a different traditional dish for every team playing in the evening that day), I had a lot of difficulty finding appropriate Ukrainian recipes. Following the financial crisis of 2008, Olia decided to quit her job as a film business reporter to pursue her dream to cook for a living. Having spent time in Eastern Europe/ Balkans, the influences are easy to spot - in which direction might be putting my head above the parapet.

I’d probably sub halibut or sea bass next time, my catfish wasn’t great but I wanted to be authentic to the recipe and culture. Don’t use any oil, and don’t preheat the casserole – this will ensure that the fat is rendered slowly. Knead the dough until it becomes firm and elastic without sticking, then cover with clingfilm and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Add the onion and carrot and cook over a medium heat, stirring, for about 5-7 minutes until the carrot is meltingly soft and is about to start caramelising.In any case, Hercules produces a tasty honey cake with sour cream - that doesn't require days of refrigeration for the layers to soften. However, for people of my age (late 50s), it was too easy to think of all countries behind the Iron Curtain as some sort of amorphous block, all slurping on Borscht and drinking vodka. I would certainly try it again – blanching the cabbage leaves a lot longer, and using a knife (instead of just a spoon and fork) to eat it.