Each Table Tells a Story by Ella Phillips
Our first blog for National Share A Story Month is a lovely piece from Ella Phillips, author of My Grandma’s Magic Recipes series. Sure to warm your heart and your kitchen!
Each Table Tells a Story
By Ella Phillips
“Are you hungry?” Isn’t that often the greeting when visiting relatives or friends, especially of a certain generation. Or, “Go on, have a little bit more”, after you’ve just finished the last mouthful of something deliciously homemade. This was my experience visiting my Nana or Godmothers growing up; travelling to Dominica to see Dad, Granny or aunties. Food was always a part of the welcoming.
A table tells a story of culture and heritage. Ours not only speaks of our Caribbean, African and British heritage, but tells a story of places we’ve been and cooking shows we’ve watched! I have always loved feeding people and what it symbolises: nurture, care and love. Although never working in a professional kitchen- which seems way too stressful to me- my partner and I set-up our own supper clubs at venues across London.
After the birth of our first son, we paused our venture to focus on surviving parenthood! Our love for food then shifted towards what we fed him and eventually his brother; how we nourished each other, passed on little pieces of our history, cultivated our own ingredients and created new memories around food as a family.
My partner and I had been planning to write a cookbook inspired by one of our sold-out supper clubs: ‘More Thyme for Plantain’, where each of our eight-courses featured the familiar Caribbean flavours of thyme or plantain. Our wonderful neighbour and then book agent was trying to help us find an audience for vegan Caribbean food, but we were a bit ahead of our time. When I fell pregnant, she suggested thinking about children’s books.
I had always loved writing growing up and could often be found scrawling down stories or poems. Having worked in museum and gallery education for quite a few years, developing creative workshops, I was excited to delve into my imagination and see what arose. Once our first son was born, it was clear that I must write something to commemorate grandparents everywhere. Not only had mine been a big part of my life growing up, but seeing how his immediately doted on him was heartwarming and hilarious. Such a small blob garnering so much power over the grown-ups!
Although I had a past career as a florist, I only really got into growing food a couple of years before becoming a mum. Days at the allotment eventually became part of our weekly routine and brought much satisfaction. I eventually realised that gardening had transformed my relationship to time, with each season bringing something special with it. I decided that I wanted to create a story that celebrated grandparents and plant power… that’s when the idea for My Grandma’s Magic Recipes began to grow.
Each story is an ode to a season and the happiness that can be found in nature throughout the year- from cosy winters to the anticipation of spring; sun filled summers and colourful autumns. Included in each story are simple, stress-free recipes we make together as a family. With this collection I hope that other families are encouraged to get into nature and into the kitchen- places where we have found such joy!