"I am writing this story without knowing its end: it begins long before I was born and will continue long after I die. I am writing this story to help myself heal and to make you understand."
Join acclaimed Ukrainian chef and author Olia Hercules as she presents her powerful new memoir Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family Story of War, Exile and Hope, a sweeping account of a century in Ukraine told through four generations of recipes.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules decided it was finally time to tell her story. Strong Roots is the story of a century in Ukraine told through four generations of one extraordinary family. It takes us from years of Russification, to Olia’s grandmother’s deportation to snowy wastelands under Stalin, to her Aunt Zhenia's school protest, to her own parents’ flight from Ukraine when their town was occupied in 2022
Already known for her award-winning cookbooks Mamushka, Kaukasis, and Summer Kitchens, Olia brings her gift for sensory storytelling to this deeply personal narrative, weaving family recipes and food traditions into a moving testament of resilience. Born in Southern Ukraine and now based in London, she offers a unique perspective on what it means to preserve cultural identity through the darkest of times.
In conversation with food writer Elisabeth Luard, the night will be an ode to the land, to ideas of home and belonging, and to family stories and recipes passed down the generations–the tang of sour cherries, the best way to make borsch. It will be an account of resilience in the hardest of circumstances and an uplifting reminder of how much the human spirit can endure when born from a land rich with strong roots.
“Olia Hercules deftly fuses war reporting, food memoir, an investigation into identity and an act of resistance to create what I feel compelled to describe as a painting out of words. An instant classic.” Nigella Lawson

The ‘stream and book’ package includes a unique ticket for the stream, and a copy of Strong Roots (RRP £20) deliverable to any UK or international address.
The event will initially be broadcast on 20 June at 6.30pm UK time. It will be available to view up to two weeks after the event has ended and can be accessed Worldwide. If you live in a time zone that does not suit the initial broadcast time you can watch it at any point after the initial showing for two weeks.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].