Berwick Slow Food were delighted to sponsor the visit of Sumayya Usmani to the Berwick Literary Festival to talk about her book Andaza: a memoir of Food, Flavour and Finding Freedom in the Pakistani Kitchen. Sumayya chatted to Millie McRobbie about how her approach to cooking developed from watching (and cooking with) her female relatives, whilst some samples from Sumayaa’s previous cookbook were served up by Laura McGinlay and Laura Scruton for attendees to enjoy.

She tells us how learning to cook with both her grandmothers and mother gave her a sense of shared community and consoled her when she was grieving for her grandmothers. She tells us that Andaza describes cooking without recipes, recollecting and recreating meals using the senses. Andaza translates as ‘estimation’ and encompasses the art of sensory cooking. Each dish can turn out differently when cooked by different people – we each have a different flavour in our hands.

We found that reassuring as we picked recipes to try both from Andaza and Sumayya’s previous book , Summers under the Tamarind Tree. We cooked:

• Cholay ka salan (Chickpea Curry with tomatoes.
• Sweet Potato and Squash parathas
• Shami Kebabs (Spiced Channa Dal and beef patties)
• Coriander chutney
• Green chili and beetroot pickle
• Mustard seed and carrot relish

Laura Scruton and Laura McGinlay