A sample menu of the dishes that will be taught includes:

• Manti (Turkmen dumplings with herby yoghurt dip)
• Chureak (Puffed Bread)
• Vinegret (Beetroot Salad)
• Bademjan (Aubergine Salad)
• Kelem Dolma(Stuffed Cabbage)
• Fig Jam with Ricotta

This menu contains meat (lamb) but is vegetarian friendly (5/6 dishes are meat-free) . Allergens include: eggs, gluten, milk, may contain mustard.

A message from our Chef Maral:

“My name is Maral. I’m from Turkmenistan and I’m excited to share my favourite traditional food with you. Turkmenistan used to be a part of the Soviet Union. It has borders with Iran and Afghanistan and shares much delicious food culture with those countries.

I started cooking at a young age with my grandmother. She was an amazing cook. I lived with her for a few years and I loved watching her cook usually early in the morning. When I moved out, that’s when I started doing things myself. Her cooking inspired me and I love to serve the recipes I learnt from her and recreate a taste of home.

Cooking is a form of meditation for me. It’s a good way to feel relaxed. Many of my recipes are prepared together with friends and family. I believe that sharing and preparing food together is a great environment to build connections. By cooking together I hope we can also create space for stories as well as creating a delicious feast that we will share together at the end. You can probably tell that I am very proud of traditional Turkmen food and my culture and I am looking forward to teaching you about it.”

Migrateful is an award-winning charity & social enterprise supporting asylum seekers, refugees & migrants in their journey to integration & independence through preparing them to lead cookery classes in their native cuisine. As well as Bristol, Brighton & Kent, Migrateful runs classes in London hosted at the flagship Cookery School in Clerkenwell, Holdspace (Angel), St Ethelburga’s Community Centre (Bishopsgate) and All Saint’s Parish Church (Peckham). Cuisines include Sri Lankan, Jamaican, Iranian and Nicaraguan.