10 game-changers

food greats everyone should know about

1 Keshia Thomas-je ers

Keshia is on a one-woman mission to challenge the perception of Caribbean food in Britain, and show there’s more to it than jerk chicken.

She shares mouth-watering recipes online, some of which feature on the menu of her south London restaurant Caribe’ ( caribeuk.com). From perfect pholourie (fried dough balls made with gram lour) to Haitian griots (boiled pork that’s then fried), Keshia reveals hidden food gems and fascinating facts about the islands and their culinary history. @caribe_uk

Zoe Adjonyoh

Zoe started by serving her peanut butter stew at a festival in east London a decade ago. Its popularity eventually led to Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen ( zoesghanakitchen.co.uk).

She’s since showcased Ghanaian and West African food in supper clubs, a long-term pop-up in Brixton, and her 2017 cookbook, Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen (£25, Mitchell Beazley). She also campaigns for better representation of black people in hospitality. @zoeadjonyoh

Riaz Phillips

Having grown up with a deep love of Caribbean food, Riaz felt that the island cuisines he loved had been ignored by the mainstream.

He set about redressing the balance by writing Belly Full, a book that highlights the foods of Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, and other Caribbean nations that are cooked in eateries across Britain. He travelled to Leeds, Coventry, Manchester and beyond to meet the people behind these cafés, restaurants and takeaways and tell their stories. See his slow-stew peas recipe on page 49.

@riazphillips tezetapress.com

Shane Wisdom-smith

Shane is an expert fermenter and food preserver. What started as a hobby has since become a calling. He experiments with all manner of fermentation and ancient preservation techniques. The videos of his foraging outings are a joy – his excitement at coming across a wild herb is contagious. He suggests ideas for using common but underutilised herbs and plants, such as lemon balm, and gives advice.

His ideas are endless, such as the ‘honeyion’ (a honeyfermented onion) and the ultimate umami-bomb: smoked and fermented chanterelle mushrooms.

@wisdom_smith

Yvonne Maxwell

Yvonne runs Pass the Dutch Pot, a platform celebrating food and culture from around the world. Her beautiful photography and compelling descriptions of the people, food and communities she comes across fosters an intimacy that brings people along on the journey with her.

Her documentary style is engaging, and her eye for detail draws out engrossing facts in the seemingly mundane. From the glories of plantain, to the salt harvesters of Senegal, her knowledge is an education.

@passthedutchpot

Jenny Lau

Celestial Peach – a name based on a tale from Chinese folklore – is a project that chronicles Chinese cuisine and the people behind it ( celestialpeach.com).

Jenny’s interviews with cooks, chefs and restaurateurs gives an insight into the myriad foods found across China’s di erent regions, and her interviews draw on an intimacy and nostalgia that transcends geographical borders. Jenny, a champion of vegan Chinese food, also hosts potluck lunches where attendees bring a surprise dish that fits within a specific theme. She’s also worked with police to support those a ected by racism during the covid-19 pandemic. @celestialpeach_uk

William Chilila

William, head chef of new London restaurant Akoko in Fitzrovia ( akoko. co.uk), aims to put West African food in the spotlight.

His cooking brings his Gambian, South African, Ghanaian and British heritage together along with methods from all over the world (think suya spice-battered veg).

His dishes use a larder full of ingredients not yet well known In Britain, such as grains of paradise

– a seed that imparts lavour similar to black pepper – and ehuru, a seed from the same family as nutmeg (though William will tell you it is much, much better).

@william_chilila

Nokx Mj Majozi

South-africa-born Nokx is senior pie maker at the legendary Holborn Dining Room in central London, which is renowned for its incredible pastry creations featuring beautiful, intricate designs and inspired flavour combinations ( holborndiningroom.com).

Nokx oversees The Pie Room, and as Holborn Dining Room is located in the five-star Rosewood Hotel, Nokx has become an icon of the fine-dining scene. The combination of her joyful presence and unparalleled talent serves as a refreshing, welcome change from the stu ness usually associated with this sort of food. @nokxmajozi

Ravneet Gill

Ravneet’s chocolate cookies have taken on legendary status in the last few months. As the founder of online bakery school PUFF School of Pastry she’s been virtually leading amateur bakers through her best recipes ( puthebakery.co.uk).

She’s also an ardent campaigner for change in the hospitality industry. After working in di icult kitchens, she became an advocate for employee rights, and campaigns for f decent working conditions. Her baking book, The Pastry Chef’s Guide (£20, Pavilion Books), is out now. See her lemon loaf recipe on page 47. @ravneeteats

Adam Purnell

Adam is a live-fire cooking master, rustling up incredible feasts over flame and charcoal at his home in Telford ( shropshirelad.co.uk).

The self-taught chef has become a regular feature at live cookery shows around the country, and is known for his incredible flavour combinations, such as his soft-shell crab benedict with Creole lime and chilli hollandaise.

Adam is one of few black or dual-heritage barbecue cooks in the UK, which is important given barbecue’s place in black culinary history. @shropshire.lad