Joudie Kalla

Joudie Kalla has been working as a chef in London for 16 years. She focuses her cooking around Palestinian cuisine, removing misconceptions of Middle Eastern food being little more than greasy kebabs by creating healthy, vibrant, moreish dishes that are packed full of goodness. She trained at the prestigious Leith's School of Food and Wine and has worked at restaurants such as Pengelley's (a Gordon Ramsay restaurant), under Ian Pengelley, Daphne's and Papillon under head chef David Duverger. Her latest cookbook 'Palestine on a Plate: Memories from my mother's kitchen' is out now. Palestine on a Plate showcases the wide-ranging, vibrant and truly delicious dishes of this country and introduces readers to traditional Palestinian methods, cooking styles and flavours. Furthermore it presents recipes from the Palestinian home, rather than those traditionally found in restaurants (such as those found in most books). Whereas many contemporary Middle Eastern cookery books offer a modern interpretation of ancient recipes, which dilute their authenticity, the recipes in this cookbook are the real deal.