Silvena Rowe was brought up on a diet of  Ottoman delicacies by her Turkish father. She is now based in London as chef-patron of Quince.

Her previous cookbooks Feasts and Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume are both glorious incantations on the cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean.

The inspiration for her latest book, Orient Express,  came from the street foods of Istanbul, Ankara and Gaziantep, Beirut, Damascus and Aleppo. Subtitled “Fast food from the Eastern Mediterranean,” but don’t expect too many recipes which can be quickly knocked up – many require overnight marinating or setting in the fridge. It is the kind of food you would expect to find at street stalls and markets – mezze style eating, great for entertaining.

The book is divided into highlighted ingredients and flavours, as opposed to the standard fare of starter, main, etc:

• Emerald spice & gold dust  – a celebration of za’atar and saffron;
• Fire and noble velvet – chilli and cumin;
• Purple citrus and summer breeze  – Sumac and fresh herbs;
• Sweet eucalyptus & liquid gold  – cardamom and honey;
• Exotic perfume and delicate fragrance – cinnamon and flowers

This structure enables one to combine a selection of diversely spiced dishes into an impressive banquet. She presents 100 light, perfectly balanced recipes for sharing. Added to this is some stunning photography of many of the completed dishes.

This book will certainly give Wickedfood Cooking School a lot of inspiration for our Turkish cooking classes and middle eastern cooking classes.

Interested in buying this book? Visit – Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, is able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for, and they deliver to your door. Pay only R252 for this book (Recommended Retail Price = R295)! Red Pepper Books is offering Wickedfood Cooking School subscribers an EXTRA 10% off this book. Simply type in the promotional code WICKEDFOOD on the shipping page of the checkout process and your purchase will be reduced by a further 10%, a total saving of R43.

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studio. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – teambuilding cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference. Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and team building cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.