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. I suspected without weights for the ingredients especially the salt and water that this recipe would fail. I like cookbooks with pictures but it was especially important here, as I am not used to Ukrainian food so it is nice to see what the food looks like. Same sentiment here, absolutely love the combination of the beetroot with the prunes AND of the sour cream with the balsamic vinegar. I highly recommend this fabulous book to any food lover, food traveller or cook - absolutely inspiring!

From Olia Hercules - Observer Rising Star of 2015 "Exotic, earthy dishes, vibrant colours, big flavours.

The recipes are a solid combination of bright and fresh, as well as home-y and warm, with a good variety of complexities levels as well. I love the superb and delicate combination of herbs, spices and a wonderful range of fresh and local ingredients used in the recipes of this book.

Serve the poussins drizzled with the herby juices, or mop the juices up with bread, along with the tkhemali.Finally, I used the beef short ribs, but they were pretty fatty and wouldn't be my choice next time. That’s not the case- it all comes together perfectly, the kidney beans are essential adding a textural aspect.

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.

I had a thought as I was making it, that perhaps, putting so much in , that I wouldn’t be able to taste the different components later. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, then slowly sift in and mix in the flour – just enough to create a firm dough. If there is a lot of fat, skim some of it off, then add the water, season the meat well with salt and pepper and cook over the lowest heat possible, covered tightly, for 2 hours or until tender and you can easily pull the meat off the bones.

This salad is more than the sum of its parts, simple to put together, fresh in flavor, and per the headnote, you’ll want good bread to sop up the last of the vegetable- and dill-infused dressing. Traditionally, we use firm white cabbage leaves here, so if you want more of a traditional taste, please use those instead of the Savoy. Either serve the meat pieces on top of the noodles, or pull the meat from the bones and mix it with the juices from the goose, then add the noodles to the meat and give them a good stir to coat them well. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.My paternal grandmother is Siberian, my mother has Jewish and Bessarabian (Moldovan) roots, my father was born in Uzbekistan and we have Armenian relatives and Ossetian friends. I add barberries to my holubtsi to achieve that sour note, but you don’t have to if they are hard to find. I live in France so I cannot talk about the rest of the world but most ingredients are pretty common and quite easy to find. This is real cooking, written about with so much love' - Diana Henry'From stuffed cabbage leaves to garlicky poussins, Olia Hercules's recipes are redolent of long summers in her mother's Ukrainian garden; rich, nourishing and enhanced by her stint as an Ottolenghi chef' - Observer Food Monthly.