When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules
decided it was finally time to tell her family’s history. Strong Roots is the story of a century in Ukraine told through four generations of one extraordinary family.
It is an ode to the land, to ideas of home and belonging, and to family stories and recipes passed down the generations – the tang of sour cherries, the best way to make borsch. It is an account of resilience in the hardest of circumstances. Strong Roots lays bare the compromises and betrayals of generations struggling and surviving through war, peace, invasion and exile. It is an uplifting reminder of how much the human spirit can endure.
 
Olia will be in conversation with TV producer and journalist Felicity spector, whose new book Food and War asks how you source, cook and take joy in food in the midst of war and loss?
 
Food is a weapon, a lifeline, a means of survival. Ukrainian food is also a powerful symbol of national identity and independence. This is a journey through mine-ridden, wrecked villages, repeatedly bombed cities, family kitchens and precarious small bakeries and cafes. Along the way news journalist and food writer Felicity Spector shares meals with soldiers, travels supply lines with volunteers and is fed incredible food by army cooks, fine bakers and home-cooking heroes.
 
Through these extraordinary stories we will explore the enduring spirit of Ukraine through war, peace, invasion and exile
 
Olia Hercules is the author of four cookbooks. Her first book, Mamushka, won the Fortnum and Mason Award for best debut cookbook and was followed by Kaukasis, Summer Kitchens and Home Food. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Olia co-founded a global initiative to raise money for Ukraine through cooking, #CookForUkraine, with her friend Alissa Timoshkina, which has raised over £2 million pounds to date. She lives with her husband, food writer and photographer, Joe Woodhouse, and two sons in London. Strong Roots is Olia's latest book, published by Bloomsbury in June, 2025.
 
A senior producer for Channel 4 News, Felicity Spector has been a television journalist for 34 years, starting her career covering the fall of the Communist bloc and the end of the old Soviet Union. She was appointed as ITN Moscow producer in 1990-91 and visited Ukraine when it declared independence. An influential Instagrammer and Substacker, she has built a following of more than 130,000 with a fascinating account that depicts her after work adventures in restaurants and home baking. @felicityspector