Natasha's Persian Food Love Story

Follow us as we bring you a series of posts on Persian Love Stories.

My love for Persian food started in the kitchen with my dad. Since I can remember I hovered around my dad in the kitchen, tasting his food and helping in any way that I could. Food has always been the centre of our family, we always ate together, talked about food and each day revolved around our meal times.

Khorak (Persian lamb stew) was the first dish I ever fell in love with. We always had this with Saffron rice, warm pitta, Persian feta salad and a Persian mint yoghurt. Saffron rice with lashings of butter always felt like such a treat as my dad always reminded me that Saffron was more expensive than gold... so eating it felt regal somehow! 

Salad Olivieh - this is a dish my family and I have always said you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It's seriously my favourite dish and if I could only ever eat one thing for the rest of my life, this would be it!

My love for Persian food and food in general, inspired me to open my own Coffee Shop. My love (addiction) to coffee also had a big part to play. I opened The Coffee Hut in Helston, Cornwall in 2019.

My dads Chelo Kabab and his secret recipe is one I use in the cafe as part of our Persian platter on the specials from time to time. I always try to incorporate Persian inspired food in the hut. Our Persian love cookies, bliss balls and Persian soups are always a huge hit!

I met my husband Gareth in 2019 and we later had an incredible little girl Autumn in October 2020. She is Persian through and through and LOVES her food and her Mumma's Persian cooking. She's also inherited the Persian stubbornness/fire in her belly/determination which my husband blames me for! She is always in the kitchen with me watching and 'helping'! Autumn takes any chance to spend time in the kitchen with her Granddad too when we visit him in Torquay.

To me, cooking and food is the centre of everything. We eat together as a family every night, cooking and eating well as a family is really important to me. Food is so much more than just food, its love, family, happiness, community, culture...it's home. It can bring so much joy and spark so many memories. I really hope to visit Iran one day very soon as I would love to see my family and relatives and experience the real Persian culture and food.

Tash x

Favourite dish: Salad Olivieh... if I could only ever eat one thing for the rest of my life, this would be it!