my new cookbook

A culinary journey across Eastern Europe, Kapusta celebrates the humble vegetables that have shaped some of the most vibrant culinary traditions in the world.

Focusing on five key vegetables to the region – cabbage, beetroot, potato, carrot and mushrooms – it honours a philosophy of cooking that has affordability, seasonality, sustainability and, above all, great flavour at its heart. With chapters on dumplings and pickles and ferments as well, you’ll find a diversity of dishes which exemplify the Eastern European culinary DNA.

Recipes are accompanied by beautiful photography and include a range of both meat-based and vegetarian dishes such as A Cabbage Strudel, both Vegan and Beef Borsch, Potato Babka, Pierogi, a Tzimmes Carrot Cake, Bulgarian Mushroom and Walnut Pâté, and a range of sauerkrauts.

Kapusta bursts with original recipes and shines a spotlight on the whole kaleidoscope of little-known culinary cultures and history from across the extensive region.

Join me on Substack

In Her Hands is more than just a collection of recipes, it is a conversation between generations of women from Eastern Europe, using food as their language. I am starting this newsletter to delve deeper into my own (rather complex) family lineage, to explore the fascinating history of Eastern European regional cuisine, giving women’s voices and hands a loving spotlight. You will find recipes and stories that take you on a journey across the vast region of Eastern Europe, as well as through time, inspiring you to try new exciting dishes in your own kitchens today. There are hearty, honest, vegetable-forward dishes, inexpensive and unprocessed ingredients, and exciting but accessible cooking techniques -  from baking, to making soups, stews, dips and salads, as well as pickling and fermentation. 

I hope this space becomes a source of nourishment—for your kitchen, your heart, and your curiosity. Whether you’re here to reconnect with your roots, discover something new, or simply find comfort in a bowl of soup, I’m so honoured to cook, and write, alongside you.

upcoming events

Toppings Bath - Monday 23 June

Kapusta Cooking Class - Sunday 13 July

Nat Geo Food Festival - Sunday 20 July

The GoodLife Society Summer Fest - Fri 25 & Sat 26 July

Edinburgh International Book Festival - Thursday 14 Aug

ashkenazi cooking course:

a Digital bundle

Ashkenazi cuisine is utterly unique and at the same time it is deeply rooted in the culinary culture of Eastern Europe. It’s fascinating history shaped by politics, religion and the cultural specificity of the Jewish experience, offers us dishes that are not only delicious but that also have a story to tell. In this series of classes, Alissa Timoshkina, food writer and historian of Ashkenazi origin, will introduce you to some of the culinary classics of Eastern European Jewish cooking, with a modern flair. You will learn to make latkes, knishes, borscht, tsimmes and blintzes, and try your hand at pickling and fermentation too.

Purchase this course bundle to receive immediate access to a recipe booklet, 3 x 2 hour cooking sessions and a bonus talk about Jewish family, food and history between Alissa and a fellow Ashkenazi food historian, Anna Kharzeeva. You will have a life-long access to all the material and email support from Alissa should you have any questions.

BOOK A Private COOKING CLASS

Would you like to learn more about food and history from Eastern Europe without leaving the comfortable space of your own kitchen? I would love to share stories and recipes with you in an informal but informative way through these private online cooking sessions. We can tailor the class to your interests or you can chose one of the available packages, that include fermentation, soups, baking and ‘how to feast like an Eastern European’.

#CookforUkraine

Founded on 23 February 2022 as an immediate response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the campaign had since attracted over 300 restaurants in the UK, an innumerable support on social media globally, and raised over £2.5MM for charities providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The campaign has been awarded The Champions of Change Award from World’s 50 Best Restaurants, The Editors Choice Award at the 2022 Observer Food Monthly Awards and a special award from the Guild of Food Writers in 2023. We continue to raise funds and awareness for the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, and your support is valued immensely. Please consider donating to our charity-partner:

on the blog