Alissa Timoshkina

Writer || HiSTORIAN || cookery teacher || campaigner

Hello! I am Alissa, a London-based food writer and historian specialising in Eastern European food culture. Originally from Siberia, I come from a family with a Ukrainian-Jewish lineage, whose history forms an important part of my culinary writing. Having lived in the UK since the late 1990s, I have initially studied film gaining a PhD in the field of Soviet film and Holocaust history. However, my love of cooking pulled me away from an academic career, and I launched an immersive dinning experience project, called KinoVino in 2015. In 2019 I wrote my debut cookbook ‘Salt and Time: recipes from a Russian Kitchen’, alongside a new series of supper clubs and culinary classes exploring food and history of Eastern Europe. My recipes are featured in The Guardian, Red Magazine, Olive Magazine, The Independent and House & Garden amongst other leading UK publications. While my events have been highlighted in Vogue, Elle, TimeOut, and I’ve been shortlisted for the Young British Foodie Awards in 2017 and my book has been nominated for the Guild of Food Writers Awards in 2 categories as well as for the Julia Child award in the USA. I’ve also had the honour of being listed at number one of the new voices in food by the Observer Food Magazine in February 2019, and having my cooking named a new trend for 2021 by Waitrose Magazine.

I was working on my 2nd cookbook dedicated to a culinary journey on the Trans-Siberian Express, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Putting an end to my new book project, the invasion inspired an idea for a global fundraising campaign, which I launched together with her Ukrainian chef friend, Olia Hercules, and the team behind #CookforSyria, a few days after the war broke out. Since its inception #CookForUkraine attracted over 300 restaurants in the UK alone, an innumerable support on social media globally and helped raise over £2 million for Ukraine. The project received The Champions of Change Award from World’s 50 Best Restaurants and The Editors Choice Award at the 2022 Observer Food Monthly Awards.

I live in London with my partner, our two children. My new cookbook Kapusta: vegetable-forward recipes from Eastern Europe will be released in February 2025! pre-order the book here