Synopses & Reviews
"Full of rich delicious prose, and even more delicious recipes, this wonderful story of one Indian family, and the memories and meals they shared over generations, gives fresh meaning to the term 'soul food'" Meera SyalThrough the personal story of Yasmins family, food, and recipes theyve shared together, The Settlers Cookbook tells the history of Indian migration to the UK via East Africa. Her family was part of the mass exodus from India to East Africa during the height of British imperial expansion, fleeing famine and lured by the prospect of prosperity under the empire. In 1972, expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin, they moved to the UK, where Yasmin has made her home with an Englishman. The food she cooks now combines the traditions and tastes of her familys hybrid history. Here youll discover how shepherds pie is much enhanced by sprinkling in some chilli, Victoria sponge can be enlivened by saffron and lime, and the addition of ketchup to a curry can be lifechanging.
Review
"This is an unexpected joy of a book. Woven around the people, places and dishes that have shaped Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's life, it follows an emotional and culinary journey from childhood in pre-independence Uganda to London in the 21st century
Her own migration is intimately bound up with the fate of other East African Asians
It is a story seldom told, and Alibhai-Brown's account of it is fascinating and touching" Sunday Times
Review
"Alibhai-Brown paints a lively picture of a community that stayed trapped in old ways until it was too late to change
[a] brave book" Guardian
Review
"For many of us food is the gateway experience into other cultures and lives. Yasmin's personal story intertwined with the foods which mean so much to her touched me deeply. And made me hungry. You cant ask for more" Gavin Esler
About the Author
Yasmin AlibhaiBrown is a leading commentator on race, multiculturalism, and human rights, writing for the Independent and Guardian and appearing regularly on TV and radio. She has won many journalism awards, including the Orwell Prize in 2002.