SABRINA GHAYOUR

Cookbook author

“For me, 2020 was the year of convenience,” says cookbook author Sabrina Ghayour, whose lockdown has been made particularly hectic by the decision to move in not only with her mother, but her fiancé and his two sons. “Everything had to be make-do, quick and easy, crowd-pleasing and comforting all at once.”

Living in Yorkshire, 20 miles from the nearest supermarket, Ghayour has embraced the freedom that comes with being faced with having to make the contents of her freezer and storecupboard into supper.

“I’ve learned not to be so precious with ingredients,” she admits. “I’ve always had a laid-back approach to cooking, but this year I took it up a notch.

“I’ve started rifling through jams, chutneys and sauces you probably

wouldn’t use in everyday cooking, in a mission to ramp up flavour. You wouldn’t imagine the number of uses I’ve found for marmalade!

“Food snobbery has gone out the window. Us cooks are so spoiled for ingredients from far and wide that we become quite arrogant about them. I used to think, ‘I’d never use dried parsley’ – now it’s a staple ingredient. Tomato purée, curry powder and brown sauce have all had their airtime, boosting flavour when I simply can’t be bothered.”

And her tepsi kebab, a recipe from her most recent book, has provided the perfect base for experimenting. “It’s faithful, economical and ridiculously easy. I can’t stop making it, changing it up a bit each time.”