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Wild Honey and Rye

April 10, 2020

5 Polish Recipes from Wild Honey and Rye

5 Polish Recipes from Wild Honey and Rye

Lots of you have been very busy making recipes from my book, Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes. Here are a few of my favourite ones:

From the ‘Seasonal and Raw Salads’ Chapter:

Buckwheat and Beetroot Salad with Feta, Walnuts and Honey: made by Coffee and Vanilla {Click here for recipe} 

(This salad also goes very well with the Polish meatballs below)

Margot is a Polish blogger based in Brighton and so I was super-keen to receive her feedback on my Polish recipes. How would they compare to her own family recipes or to the recipes she has tried in Poland? Luckily, Margot was excited to find lots of recipes that she wanted to try out and was pleased to find a buckwheat recipe that immediately appealed to her. Margot’s husband, who does not usually enjoy buckwheat or beetroot, also enjoyed it.

Margot says: “Being Polish, the recipes all seem quite familiar to me but at the same time so different from what I’m used to. Ren has taken traditional Polish dishes to a completely new level, adding international ingredients and modern methods of preparation. It would unquestionably make a great gift to anyone interested in Polish cuisine.”

beetroot-buckwheat-salad-with-feta
Beetroot and Buckwheat Salad with Feta. Image Credit: Margot at Coffee and Vanilla
From the ‘Seasonal Soups and Market-Inspired Sides’ Chapter:

Polish Forest Mushroom Soup: made by FoodieQuine {Click here for recipe} 

Claire at FoodieQuine in Scotland shares her impressions on Wild Honey and Rye. The Forest Mushroom Soup immediately caught her eye, so she set about making a batch, served with some delicious pearl barley.

Claire says: “It seems that the contemporary Polish food scene is striving at both street food, home cooking and Michelin star level. In addition to inspiring me to recreate her recipes at home, I’ve also been inspired by Ren to add a visit to Poland to my ever increasing travel bucket list.” 

polish-mushroom-soup
Polish Mushroom Soup. Image Credit: Claire at FoodieQuine
From the ‘Food for Family and Friends’ Chapter:

Potato Pancakes in Mushroom Sauce: made by Ceri at Natural Kitchen Adventures {Click here for recipe}

Ceri had taken a trip to Poland in 1998 and whilst the trip itself was full of fun for Ceri as she travelled with her youth orchestra, the food didn’t leave much of a lasting impression. Prompted by the book, Ceri had a longer than usual peruse of the Polish food aisle at her local supermarket and was happy to find roasted buckwheat under its Polish name of Kasha or Kasza. In the end, Ceri chose to make the Potato Pancakes in Mushroom Sauce (definitely a staple in our house) and served them with her own carrot and cucumber salad with caraway seeds.

Ceri says: “The book is such a wonderful memoir of a cuisine that I think perhaps could do with a bit of redefining on the world stage.  Ren explains in the book that the Poland of today is probably a bit different to the Poland we think of. I’d love to go back and find out.”

Polish-Potato-Pancakes
Polish Potato Pancakes with Mushroom Sauce: Image Credit Ceri at Natural Kitchen Adventures

Millet Kaszotto with Wild Mushrooms: made by Kellie at Food to Glow {Click here for recipe}

Kellie has been reading my blog, and I hers, since the very beginning of my journey into food writing and I was thrilled that as a cancer health educator, Kellie found a recipe that she was very happy to make and blog about from Wild Honey and Rye. Kellie’s blog is mainly vegan and plant-based and the earthy image of a Millet ‘Kaszotto’ with Wild Mushrooms immediately took her fancy. Although Kellie often cooks risotto-type dishes with buckwheat, barley or rice, she had never cooked with millet, which in Poland is known as kasza jaglana, hance the name ‘kaszotto’ given to the dish. Kellie also shares her two favourite restaurants in London – Baltic Restaurant and Bar and Ognisko Restaurant at The Polish Hearth Club (which, incidentally, are mine too) and selects some of her favourite recipes and chapter highlights from the book.

Kellie’s recipe verdict: “This cosy, satisfying dish is staying in our repertoire of easy weekday suppers, occasionally adding our own touches – flecks of goat’s cheese one time; sauteed tempeh another.”

millet-risotto
Millet Risotto (Kaszotto) Image credit: Kellie at Food to Glow

Bigos (Hunter’s Stew): made by Nicola at Kitchen Sanctuary {Click here for recipe}

I couldn’t write a Polish cookery book without including a recipe for my Mama’s Bigos recipe, which makes an appearance during every buffet and celebration in our house and is devoured every time. I was thrilled that Nicky over at Kitchen Sanctuary chose to make this dish, not least because it is known as Poland’s national dish, but also because it encouraged her to cook with ingredients, key to the Polish kitchen, which she hadn’t brought together before – sauerkraut and Polish sausage. Nicky’s dish looks absolutely delicious and it’s great to hear that the whole family enjoyed it.

Nicky says: “Slow cooked pork with mushrooms and stock is exactly the kind of comfort food I love. The stew starts off on the hob and is finished in the oven. A little under 3 hours from start to finish, it’s the perfect meal to cook in the oven on a drizzly Saturday afternoon. I loved the tender, fall-apart pork, the tangy bite of the cabbage, and the sausages added lots of meaty flavour (the kids’ loved the sausages the most).” 

Bigos-Polish-Hunters-Stew-Recipe
Bigos Polish Hunters Stew Recipes. Image Credit: Nicola Corbishley

I hope you enjoy checking out some of the recipes above. Let me know if you’ve cooked from the book by tagging me @foodren on social media or by using the hashtag #wildhoneyandrye

You may also like:

Polish Meatballs with a Mushroom Sauce

Polish Easter Babka 

Polish Wild Mushroom Soup

February 1, 2018

Polish Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

Polish Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

This is one of my favourite recipes from my cookbook Wild Honey and Rye for Polish Meatballs in a Mushroom Sauce, which you can find on page 118.

I serve my meatballs with a light cucumber, sour cream and dill salad and a grated beetroot salad. There’s no need for potatoes, although my Mama would serve hers with potatoes (the apple mashed potatoes on page 85 or  the new potatoes with butter and dill on page 89) both work really well. Small meatballs in Poland are known as kotleciki or pulpety, larger ones are called kotlety mielone.

Skip straight to the recipe here

Wild Honey & Rye - Meatballs with Cucumber Salad
Image Credit: Yuki Sugiura for Pavilion Books

Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes is available in the UK here, published by Pavilion Books. 

The first American edition is also available for in the US here and will be published by Interlink Books in March 2018.

Thank you for all your support!

 

 

You may also like:

The Happy Launch of Wild Honey and Rye – read here.

Polish Mushroom Soup

5 Polish Recipes from Wild Honey and Rye 

 

With thanks to Pavilion Books for the permission to share this recipe from Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes.

December 24, 2017

A Polish Christmas Eve from Wild Honey and Rye

A Polish Christmas Eve from Wild Honey and Rye

Christmas is almost here! Here in the UK, we are looking forward to beginning our family celebrations on Christmas Eve when we share a vigil meal, called Wigilia, according to the Polish tradition. This is a meal we all look forward to every year, in fact, it is really the highlight of our year. As a second-generation Pole who has grown up with dual-cultural heritage, both British and Polish, my respect for keeping this tradition is steadfast. I have grown up sensing how important Christmas Eve was for my parents and grandparents and indeed, the many generations of Poles before them. I now love explaining and sharing all the elements of the Christmas Eve meal with our children, which helps them to understand why the preservation of tradition and cultural heritage is so important.

Although there isn’t specifically a chapter on Christmas in my cookbook Wild Honey and Rye, the Christmas Eve meal is mentioned in a few of the recipes throughout. This is a meal full of symbolism and significance, with the preparation almost certainly beginning the day before; the meal traditionally being made up of twelve courses representing the twelve apostles. We lay hay underneath the tablecloth to remind us that Jesus was born in the manger and we always set a spare place for the unknown or unexpected guest. There are other theories in this fascinating article here, including the idea that we set out a place for those who are no longer with us. Very often over the years we have actually had unexpected guests knocking at the door and this has always added to our respect for keeping the custom of setting an extra place. Other customs include beginning the meal when the first star appears in the sky, which is said to represent the star of Bethlehem. Before the food is served, we share a blessed wafer called opłatek, with each person present exchanging greetings and good wishes with one another for the year ahead.

Polish beetroot soup
Christmas Eve Beetroot Soup, called barszcz wigilijny (front right) is always made with a vegetable stock, as the meal must be meatless. Page 74, Wild Honey and Rye, Photo Yuki Sugiura

The twelve dishes themselves (all meatless) include ingredients from the forest, sea, field and orchard. Hence, there are plenty of dishes with forest mushrooms, such as mushroom soup or beetroot soup called barszcz czerwony or borscht, served with little mushroom-filled dumplings, lots of fish, including carp, cod and herrings from the Baltic sea. From the field, the dough for our pierogi or Polish dumplings is made with wheat flour and we drink a fruit compote made from apples from the orchard and other fruits. We end the meal, significantly fuller, with apple cake, Makowiec, which is a poppy seed roll, a traditional Polish cheesecake and Pierniczki, Polish Spiced Christmas Biscuits. At the end of the meal, we sing Christmas carols and exchange gifts.

If you know anybody Polish and have talked to them about our Christmas Eve meal, you’ll have almost certainly heard stories about live fish, specifically carp, swimming around in the bathtub. Thankfully, this is a practice that is much less common now and whilst fish is a big feature of the Christmas Eve meal, our family has always favoured cod and salmon from the fishmonger!

In Wild Honey and Rye, there is a simple recipe for Herrings in Cold-Pressed Linseed Oil, but you can also buy herrings in oil. Serving suggestions include herrings with green apple and honey, herrings with red onion and chives or herrings with sour cream – always served with a good Polish rye bread. If you don’t fancy the aforementioned carp, you could always try my Pan-Roasted Cod with Leeks and Cream, or my favourite fish recipe, the Baked Bream with Dill Butter Sauce.

Herrings in Linseed Oil, Page 99, Wild Honey and Rye, Photo Yuki Sugiura
Fish Baked Bream with Dill Butter
Baked Bream, Page 149, Wild Honey and Rye, Photo Yuki Sugiura

This year’s Wigilia will be extra-special for me, owing to the fact that I have had lots of messages from people telling me that they are going to be attempting their first Polish Christmas guided by some of the recipes in Wild Honey and Rye. My Mama Alicja will be firmly at our pierogi-making helm, but my sister Basia is going to be following some of the recipes over with her family in America (we miss you!) and my English family friend Carla is bravely attempting twelve courses for her Polish in-laws. We’re with you, Carla. Many of you have said you’ll be taking a dish along as a contribution to a Wigilia meal you have been have been invited to. Polish home cooks are known for wanting to do absolutely everything themselves, but I am sure your host will appreciate anything that you bring. If you have Polish neighbours or friends, they will love it if you wish them a Happy Christmas Eve, or Wigilia, pronounced as Vigilia.

Genuinely, that some of you may be cooking from Wild Honey and Rye has made me feel so very grateful for the opportunity I have had to share some of our family recipes in the book. I am so thankful to my Mama not only for passing the recipes on, but also for celebrating this tradition in the way that she has with all of us over the years. It beats last-minute Christmas shopping, brings the whole family together and weaves some very special customs and traditions into Christmas. The extra place at the table will comfort us when thinking of loved ones gone. My father Longin and Grandma Babcia Tekla, both always looked forward to Wigilia with the family.

I always look forward to my Mama’s pierogi the most on Christmas Eve, when they are filled with sauerkraut or cabbage with mushrooms, or with potato and twaróg cheese. The master recipe and both fillings are in the book. There is also a recipe here on Great British Chefs and here on Lucy’s blog – the cream and mushroom filling would be perfect for a Polish Christmas Eve. Some people also like to serve meatless gołabki, or stuffed Cabbage Rolls, shown below with barley and mushrooms. The forest and field element is strong in these dishes!

Pierogi Polish Dumplings
Pierogi Polish Dumplings, Page 153, Wild Honey and Rye, Photo Yuki Sugiura
Cabbage rolls
Cabbage Parcels, Gołabki, Page 136, Wild Honey and Rye, Photo Yuki Sugiura

If we make it to dessert, traditionally we have a makowiec, which is a yeasted poppy seed roll, or an apple cake, called Szarlotka or a baked cheesecake. I’ll actually be making this baked cheesecake with lemon and poppyseed. There is also a baked cheesecake with raisins in Wild Honey and Rye on page 182.

Incidentally, for Poles, the day after Christmas Eve is known as the Second day of Christmas, with duck or goose being popular. We stick to a very traditional British turkey on Christmas Day with all the trimmings.

And so, Christmas is here again and what a year it has been. Thank you to everyone who has supported my adventures with Wild Honey and Rye, and thank you also if you have bought it as a Christmas gift or are cooking from it this Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas, however you celebrate. I’m signing off to go and help in the kitchen.

A very special thank you also to Pavilion Books and to Yuki Sugiura for the images. Styling by Rebecca Woods and Alexander Breeze. 

x

October 17, 2017

The happy launch of Wild Honey and Rye and how to party like a Pole!

The happy launch of Wild Honey and Rye and how to party like a Pole!

A big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has supported me this month…

Hooray – 7th September 2017 saw the launch of Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes, my debut cookbook published by Pavilion Books. This is a day I will never forget because it was the day a very big dream became real. If you believe in numerology, there is great significance in the number seven; there are seven days in a week, Newton identified the seven colours of a rainbow, September means the seventh month in Latin. Seven years ago, in September 2010, I had just enrolled in an online Diploma in Food Journalism. Shortly afterwards, in November 2010, I started this blog as one of my first assignments.

Ren Behan Wild Honey and Rye
Photo Credit: Stephanie Belton Photography

Although I haven’t always appreciated it, symbolism, it seems, is quite important to me. I chose to be published by Pavilion Books because our first meeting had taken place in a room opposite my old lecture halls in Bloomsbury – a sign I took as being on the right path. As often as possible and particularly when I have a significant decision ahead of me, I try and go with my instinct and I look for signs as reassurance that I’m heading in the right direction. It was all very surreal and overwhelming, as big moments usually are. On that particular day in November 2015, as I left Pavilion’s offices with bright blue skies beaming over me, I remember strolling past Senate House Library and past my first student halls feeling a strong sense of going back to something as well as forwards into something new. Of course, I wasn’t to know then that the offer of a publishing contract would come, but I hoped that it would and of course, as Wild Honey and Rye now shows, it did.

Bloomsbury London

I wrote about the cookbook process itself here in an earlier post. Aside form having no roof at the time, the process was mostly straightforward and hugely enjoyable. Throughout, I kept in mind that all my food heroes, from Elizabeth Luard to Nigella Lawson must have started somewhere and that they wouldn’t be where they are today had they not just kept moving forwards. I also kept in mind that there would be some people who liked the book and some who wouldn’t. I hoped and prayed that it would be positively received and so far there has been a stream of bright and cheerful 5* Amazon reviews (thank you!) and heaps of positivity all round. It seems Polish food can be exciting and inspiring and cool, who knew?!

Pavilion Books
The amazing team from Pavilion Books, with photographer Yuki Sugiura and Home Economist Becci Woods and my lovely literary agent Heather Holden Brown.

Time to Party like a Pole…

Publication day itself was really like taking a big deep breathe and then exhaling. I was nervous, yes, but excited more. There was joy and elation and giddiness and champagne (and vodka) but in the quieter moments, I was just so happy to have been able to share my Polish food through Wild Honey and Rye.

My Mum came to spend the week with us, which was lucky because it also coincided with the madness of back-to-school week. My family and original antenatal group friends came over to eat Polish food. A week later, I hosted a gathering at my favourite Modern Eastern European restaurant called Baltic in London, where the chef Marek made some canapés to tie in with the book and where barman Karol created a divine Polish plum and chilli martini to mark the occasion. Katie at Pavilion Books gave a speech that made me cry and I was very spoilt with gifts of flowers, champagne and even food styling props. It was like all my birthdays rolled into one!

I was so grateful for all the friends came along to celebrate with me, including my oldest school friends from Cheshire, friends with a Polish connection, buddies from the online and blogging world – travelling even as far as from Newcastle and of course, the whole book crew from Pavilion as well as the shoot team, minus Alexander who we missed.

When I decided not to return to the law ten years ago, I can honestly say that I didn’t expect my second career to be anything near as exciting as this one has turned out to be. I saw every glass raised during the whole month as an opportunity for me to say thank you to those who have supported me throughout my journey.

It’s fair to say I have been overwhelmed by the response to the book so far. Readers up and down the land (as far as the Shetland Isles!) have been making pierogi (Polish dumplings) sourcing Polish cheese or creating their own fillings. Young people have been baking and achieving Scout badges for their efforts. One little girl, a third generation Pole, said that she baked my Plum and Poppyseed cake and that it was as good as her Babcia (or Granny) makes – phew. Many have identified with my dual-heritage upbringing and have said that it has helped them put put their own upbringing into context, others have said it has helped them to reconnect with Polish food. Some have booked trips to Poland. One reader shared a photo of the book arriving in Hawaii, another friend took a photo of Wild Honey and Rye in Omnivore Books in San Francisco. Lots of people have also commented on the beautiful design of the book and on the light and modern photography. Every single photo and message I have received has made me bounce with joy – thank you.

wild honey and rye

I was also super happy to receive some very special press coverage. delicious magazine selected Wild Honey and Rye as one of four September ‘Hot new cookbooks’ and Sainsbury’s are running a series of four recipes in their autumn edition of Bake Magazine. I was interviewed by Brin Best for Tydzień Polski newspaper (extended version here) which is one of the oldest running Polish newspapers in London. There were mentions in The Herald, Scotland by Sumayya and on a new blog called Polish at Heart by my friend, Ania. I took my book and some plum cake onto Nick’s afternoon show on BBC Three Counties Radio. I also received a very nice letter from the Polish Ambassador in London, to say that he would welcome Wild Honey and Rye into his culinary collection. There’s a special mention below to all my food blogging friends, too, who blew me away.

press coverage

 

The 10th St Albans Food and Drink Festival and Street Cafe Supper Club

Locally, September was an amazing month too because we celebrated the 10th St Albans Food and Drink Festival. I had lots of support from Becky ‘The Local Foodie’ at the Herts Advertiser, as well as from the Food Festival team itself and Radio Verulam. I hosted my first Wild Honey and Rye supper-club at Street Cafe (a huge thank you to Rita and the team there) and conquered my fears of cooking live during my first cookery stage demo.

I have lots more exciting events in the planning so keep an eye on my shop and events page for more info.

supper club

Thank you to all who came along!

And so now, I find myself, once again, sitting at my kitchen table, catching up with my blog and feeling so, so grateful. This space has very often been my window out into the world, as well as a little window into my world. If I look to the very beginning of my journey into food writing, almost seven years ago, I can see that there has been one key factor which has encouraged me to continue and that is the sense of community and support that I have felt very strongly whenever I shared a recipe, experience or my thoughts. Without that sense of community, whether prompted by way of a comment from a reader, or a share by a fellow blogger, I wouldn’t have felt compelled to continue.

The Amazing UK Blogging Community

I was particularly touched by the fact that some of my best blogging pals rallied around me on publication day and during the weeks that followed. They sent messages of support and looked forward to receiving the book to cook from and review. Often, when I have sat here, in between nap-times and nursery runs, very much feeling the quietness, these writers have inspired me to keep my blog going. Their posts also showcase, I believe, the standard that British blogging has reached – that there should be such beautiful photography throughout and such very kind words within and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you in upcoming posts.

Join me next week for the Wild Honey and Rye Polish Cookalong!

White Cabbage Salad
polish_meatballs_salad
Blueberry Pierogi
Honey and Banana Cake

More Recipes:

If you’d like to try some recipes from Wild Honey and Rye, you can find three of my favourite recipes over on Great British Chefs:

Pierogi Ruskie (with Cheese and Potatoes)

Kopytka Polish Gnocchi with Bacon and Mushrooms 

Krupnik Honey Vodka  

Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes published by Pavilion Books is currently available on Amazon for £13.60 – grab your copy now and join us next week for the cookalong!

Thank you for your support (and for buying the book and leaving reviews) and to all at Pavilion Books for their faith in my Polish recipes and for producing such a beautiful cookery book.

I think I’ll have a little rest now…

September 4, 2017

The Story of Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes

The Story of Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes

“If you’re curious about the world, then food is a wonderfully satisfying way of approaching it because all human experience can be investigated through the food that appears on your plate. There’s always a story.” Matthew Fort

I can hardly believe it, but the time has finally come for me to sit down, relax and tell you all about the story of my first cookbook, Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes, published by Pavilion Books. There have been some early copies spotted around bookshops this week (this book is clearly too eager to get out into the big wide world!) but the official publication date is Thursday 7th September 2017.

Wild Honey and Rye Ren Behan
Photo Credits: Yuki Sugiura Photography for Pavilion Books

The Journey

It would be very nice to simply say that I was sitting here writing about food one day, when a big hand came down from the sky, pointed to me and said: “You have been chosen to write a book!” The reality is that it takes a lot of hard work, perseverance and an unwavering (bordering on stubborn) belief in your idea. Basically, you’re working against the odds. I’ve no doubt, that a little bit of luck comes into it, too. More on that, later.

I probably first started thinking, or daydreaming about writing a cookbook back in 2011 when I first took some Polish food onto Weekend Kitchen at BBC Three Counties Radio and the host said, “This is delicious, you should write a cookbook.” It sounded like a good idea at the time, although a little overwhelming as I was only just starting out as a food writer.

Beetroot Soup
Photo Credit: Yuki Sugiura for Pavilion Books

I had grown up eating Polish food because both sides of my family, maternal and paternal came from Poland. My father fought with the Polish Armed Forces in the West and we were brought up speaking Polish, marking Polish traditions and playing an active role within the Polish diaspora of Manchester where lots of Poles settled following the Polish Re-Settlement Act of 1947. Whilst Polish food seemed so obvious to me, to the outside world, Polish food was still classified as a ‘lesser known’ cuisine.

My ideas simmered away, but my blog work and other freelance writing work were also picking up pace. There was just so much to write about and so many ideas buzzing around in my head. A few mainstream magazines featured one or two of my Polish recipes and it took me a couple of years to finish off the Diploma in Food Journalism that I had started alongside my blog, once I had stepped away from the law.

In 2013, I took a really enjoyable course with Xanthe Clay and Vanessa Kimbell, helpfully called: How to Write a Write and Publish a Recipe Book. We all sat around a big table, eating Rachel’s ‘Sugar Moon’ chocolate brownies and talking about our ideas. After the course, I felt I had a better and more structured idea of how to write a proposal at least, if not a whole book. As an avid reader and collector of cookbooks, it was also becoming apparent that there was a lot to consider. It was once thing to have a good idea, but there was also the question of making it different and unique without being too niche, of building a platform and an audience and of finding someone who believed in my idea as much as I did.

In 2014, our third baby was born and by then, whilst I was still keeping the blog going, I had put all my dreams of writing a book to one side. I was regularly writing a features column for JamieOliver.com now, lots of other freelance commissions were coming my way and we were just about to embark on a house remodel/renovation project that had also been in the planning for about five years prior. It didn’t seem sensible, with three young children and no roof, to add anything else into the mix.

Just before our building work began, I was selected to be a Judge for the Guild of Food Writers Awards and suddenly, my living room was filled with over 100 cookbooks – in addition to the hundreds of cookbooks I already owned. We were supposed to be de-cluttering ahead of the build, but instead I became immersed. I cooked from them whilst the windows and doors were being ripped out, I conferred with fellow judges and a winner was selected. I looked forward to escaping the dust to attend the Guild’s annual party. Whilst I loved each and every single book that made it into my top ten list, there was my ever-growing niggle; Polish food hadn’t been represented. It was still undiscovered, there were still misperceptions and there was so much I wanted to say.

Blueberry Pierogi
Photo Credit: Yuki Suguira for Pavilion Books

The turning point

At the Guild’s party, by chance, I was introduced to Heather Holden-Brown, who, as it turned out, was a literary agent. It was Heather who turned to me and said, “Ren, my love, you have to write this book.” That week, she took me under her wing and I signed with HHB Agency. This was the dose of luck I referred to earlier. Being in the right place, at the right time. Without Heather, there would be no Wild Honey and Rye. I now had an extra level of accountability – I didn’t want to let Heather down.

If truth be told, I would have been quite busy enough at this point with my freelance work and dealing with seeing our house being rebuilt. I remember pushing our youngest in a pushchair through the rubble so that I could advise on whether a wall should come down, or ringing my husband, Ed, who was also juggling too many things, to say the wrong wall had been pulled down.

On another personal note, my father, now in his 90s had passed away that year, so things were a bit foggy. Heather had given me the summer to gather my thoughts. I took a deep breath and started again with my proposal, which became something of a PhD, over 50 pages in length and filled to the brim with as many facts and figures I could find to support my idea. I had it professionally proof-read and sent it to Dianne Jacob, who wrote the first book on food writing I had read called Will Write for Food because I still had the lingering fear my draft wasn’t good enough. I also read ‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert – highly recommended if you’re battling with personal fears or creative blocks. I created visual story-boards to back up my ideas, with pictures of honey and food images that I particularly liked. Things were starting to feel very different and there was increasing interest in my Polish recipes.

In November 2015, two of my friends were going to Warsaw and they had found a really cool flat to stay in with a spare third bedroom. I looked at the chaos around me and simply said: “I’m going to Poland.” I don’t even think there was a discussion. Ever-supportive of my crazy plans, Ed took up the reins and off I flew for three days. It was mid-November and they sky was grey, everywhere. I wasn’t expecting much from Warsaw. Some time to myself perhaps. A wander around. A visit to the monument of the 1st Polish Armoured Division that my father had fought with during the Second World War. I was looking forward to cheering for my friend Aggie, who was running in the Independence Day race.

Warsaw Kitchen

Though I had been to Poland many times before, to family in Wrocław and Kraków and on school trips to Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains, my last visit to Warsaw had been during my 20s whilst at university to write a dissertation on NATO. My memories were hazy and I didn’t even stay for as long as I should have done. I was too eager to get back to my flat and job and friends in London. Polish food cooked by Mama was tastier back in the UK, and at home we didn’t have to queue for bread. All my earlier trips to Poland had been marred with sadness, or post-communism, or lack – although the food had always been good and my family always seemed to have a knack of pulling together something out of nothing.

During my 2015 trip to Poland, everything clicked into place. My heart was happy. Oddly, despite the grief and I had found my direction.

Poland had changed. The people were warm and friendly and welcoming. I reconnected with my family living in Warsaw. We ate at a modern restaurant our friend Marek was working in and I had one of the best meals of my life with my friends Aggie and Boz. I slipped into the Polish way of life a little too comfortably, chatting to taxi drivers, arranging meetings at Polish magazines offering travel pieces, zipping around on the trams, stopping at food markets to eat and take food photos.

On my return, Heather had sent my proposal out and had lined some meetings up and I was absolutely bursting to tell everyone about my experiences in Poland.  They listened, they were intrigued. Sometimes I talked a bit too much, but I was beyond excited. Things then unfolded pretty quickly.

The meeting of minds

Pavilion Books, specifically Publishing Director Katie Cowan and Commissioning Editor Emily Preece-Morrison, simply ‘got’ me and my vision. As a publishing house led by Polly Powell, they are independent, forward-thinking and bold. As a team, they are incredibly normal and laid back and for the most part left me to it. I wrote and the words just poured out onto the pages. I was in my zone. There were no tears, or tantrums. I kept in mind that home cooks are time-poor these days and that no one has hours and hours to spend in the kitchen. Nor does anyone really want to eat fat-laden stodgy food and actually, I was very keen to put across the fact that in Poland, my recent experiences of the food there had been based on fresh ingredients, seasonality and simple flavours. The Poles had taken to street-food too, and to eating outdoors whenever they could. There were more new ingredients and flavours on the Polish culinary scene than ever before. I noted that there was a very positive, communal atmosphere in Poland; it was no longer so focused on the Polish table at home, but that the Poles themselves were more curious as to the food trends around them. I went back to visit the breakfast markets and to take more photos, each time feeling more and more inspired.

Warsaw Breakfast Markets
Warsaw, Breakfast Markets, by Ren

Alongside lots of new ideas and recipes, I wrote up the recipes that I had learnt from my family and use to regularly feed my own children, time and time again. And then came another trip to Poland, followed by another, and more and more things jumped out at me and suddenly there was too much to include.

I was also very conscious that I didn’t want to look backwards to how Poland used to be. I didn’t want to be nostalgic – perhaps because I had lost my dad, perhaps because I had seen such a huge shift in the culinary scene in Poland. I wanted it to be forward-looking, modern, bright and vibrant – just like Poland is today and I hope, how she will always be.

Honey and Banana Cake
Photo Credit: Yuki Sugiura for Pavilion Food

The Creative Process

My experience has been incredibly positive and all at Pavilion Books have been super supportive of bringing this ‘lesser known cuisine’ to life and of giving me a chance. I didn’t take on the photography, although a few of my travel images do appear, as do a few family photographs. It was a real joy to write and then to watch and observe all the magic happening around me. Everyone loved the food on shoot days and were genuinely surprised by the lightness of it all and the ideas and flavours – the pierogi were always a big hit. The sweet pierogi with strawberries, pistachio nuts and wild honey made the biggest impression so they made the front cover.

The shoot team, who deserve maximum credit are photographer Yuki Sugiura, whose work you may be familiar with from many cookbooks, The Telegraph, The Guardian Cook, John Lewis Edition covers and much, much more. Yuki had such an incredible eye for detail and a manner of working that was calm and organised and full of light. I loved seeing my recipes captured so beautifully and elegantly in her studio.

Our home economist on set was the brilliant Rebecca Woods, who went the extra mile on every shoot day to source the best looking sea bass or perfectly-sized pickling cucumbers from Borough market and who then made it all look captivating. The results show that Polish food is light, appealing and straightforward to achieve at home.

We were also incredibly lucky to watch and learn from Alexander Breeze who brought imagination and a creative direction to the backgrounds, table and prop settings. I was simply in awe.

Back at Pavilion, Laura Russell worked her magic on the design of the book, along with commissioning editor Emily who continued to steer the modern direction of the book. Whilst external editor Maggie Ramsey and myself went back and forth, though not too much, with edits and improvements. I particularly enjoyed working on The Polish Pantry section which appears at the beginning of the book because I was keen to make sure that no one feels overwhelmed by any new ingredients – there really aren’t too many unfamiliar items, most are widely available in supermarkets and/or your local Polish deli – I’m sure you’ll have one nearby…!

Emily later handed the book over to Stephanie Milner, who guided me through the final few stages and then once the book was complete, Komal Patel and the team took over to start spreading the word about the book and that’s where we are at now. I’m sure there numerous more people behind the scenes who helped bring this book to life, from commercial experts to marketing teams and more. I feel very lucky to have been in such good hands.

Heather, and Cara at HHB Agency have also been on-hand throughout to help me navigate the process.

All in all, from signing to publication, the process has taken close to two years. The house is finished, too. The children and Ed are still being fed lots of Polish food.

So that’s the story of Wild Honey and Rye. I hadn’t intended this post to be so long, but there you have it, almost another book. Really, I wanted to tell you about the food. But I hope Wild Honey and Rye will tell the story of modern Polish food itself, through the pages you’ll see and through the recipes I hope you’ll make.

White Cabbage Salad
Photo Credit: Yuki Sugiura for Pavilion Books

The future

This has been my blog, my space, my little corner of the world for seven years now. Often, being a mother and writing from home has been lonely and lots of things have changed. This blog has been my constant and without you all, I wouldn’t have had the courage to try and catch my dreams. I’m very proud of my Polish heritage – it has made me who I am and the ultimate privilege is to have been able to write about it and to share Polish food with a wider audience. Having dual-heritage has made me different and unique and often I have struggled with that. But reading blogs and connecting with people all over the world made me feel like I fitted in somewhere. And that’s something I’ll always treasure. Thank you for supporting me with all my recipes writing. Every single thing I’ve written about from Polish food, to family food, to cookbook reviews has been a small part of a much bigger tapestry. I’m looking forward now to hosting some Wild Honey and Rye-themed events – my first one is here and I hope there will be many more Polish food adventures. 

This book is for you.

Wild Honey and Rye is for anyone who has cause to cook.  I know that cooking can sometimes feel like a chore, but it can be incredibly satisfying to push yourself to try something new.

Polish food isn’t spicy or heavy, it’s light and seasonal. We eat eggs and porridge for breakfast, just like everyone else – though I often have millet porridge and pour wild honey over my rye toast and cream cheese. All the classics are in there – salads (my favourite one is cucumber, sour cream and dill), my Mama’s bigos and cabbage rolls, as well as recipes to make with fresh market produce, soups, light bites, street food, food for family and friends (my favourite chapter), high tea and cakes (lots of my cakes have fruit in them) and there’s a chapter on vodka and how to capture and bottle seasonal gluts and flavour your own limited edition batches.

Cream cheese on rye
Photo Credit: Yuki Sugiura for Pavilion Books

Feedback and where to buy

As well as being available in the UK, Wild Honey and Rye is available in America, Canada, South Africa, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and Australia – and more and more countries are starting to list it! I have set up a page here with more information on where to buy it and I’ll also be hosting some events over the coming week, so I’ll keep you posted.

Wild Honey and Rye has also already received some wonderful feedback –

  • Early this year, Julia Platt Leonard listed Wild Honey and Rye as one of The best cookbooks to look forward to in 2017.
  • delicious. magazine selected it as a September Hot New Cookbook, “Author Ren Behan…shares sweet and savoury recipes that are strongly influenced by her heritage, but cleverly updated and modernised.”
  • Sumayya Usmani featured a recipe in her column for The Herald, Scotland  
  • Sally at My Custard Pie made the millet porridge, a whole batch of pierogi and some of the salads as soon as she received the book and shared her Polish food memories and thoughts on my book here.

Pop back here next week for my virtual book launch, too.

You can connect with me here by leaving a comment or on social media where you’ll find me as @renbehan

Thank you

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have supported, pre-ordered and already cooked from Wild Honey and Rye.

I hope my debut book earns a place in your culinary collection.

Home infused honey
Photo Credit: Yuki Sugiura for Pavilion Books

Wild Honey and Rye: Modern Polish Recipes is available from all good bookshops and can also be ordered online.

7th September 2017, Pavilion Books.

Recipe images and portrait by Yuki Sugiura. 

Tag your creations with #wildhoneyandrye

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