The Girl Who Escaped From Zanzibar

1. The secret of this is to make a good fish stock, boiling up the bones, skin, heads and tails of a variety of fish and crustaceans together with chopped onion, a carrot, peppercorns and three bay leaves. Simmer for a few hours. 2. Take a large frying pan and warm a little peanut oil in it, adding a pinch of chilli powder. 3. Slice an onion into small cubes and fry slowly in the warm oil. 4. Add one clove of pressed garlic. 5. Add half a pound of short-grained rice. 6. Add a glass of dry white wine if you have any. 7. Fry on a higher heat until the wine and oil has been absorbed by the rice. The alcohol will evaporate in the process. 8. Strain and pour the warm fish stock into a jug. 9. Gradually add the stock to the rice, stirring continuously. Use as much stock as you need to keep the dish creamy without becoming either too wet or too dry. The rice should take about 20 minutes to cook through but count on it taking lon...

This delicious, moist, aromatic Pumkin-seed Bread recipe is dairy-free and made using coconut oil for moisture and flavour. 1. Sieve 17oz of strong white bread flour into a bowl, and add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds 2. Add a teaspoon of yeast to 1 and ¼ cups lukewarm water (test the temperature with a clean finger to make sure it isn’t too hot) and leave it until little bubbles show on the surface 3. Add 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil to the water 4. Pour the water, oil and yeast mixture into the flour and mix with a spoon until a dough forms 5. Knead with your hands until smooth and it doesn’t stick to your fingers (if too sticky, put more flour on your hands and continue)  6. Place the dough in a bowl greased with coconut oil and let it rise in a warm place covered by a damp tea towel until it doubles in size 7. Punch the dough down with your fist and shape it into a loaf 8. ...

Part Two of Sophie's African saga follows Makorongo's daughter, a girl called Redemption who dreams of becoming a teacher. A work of historical fiction set on the tropical island of Zanzibar, it is linked to the true story of those living life to the full in the heady days leading up to the revolution of 1964 including Freddie Mercury who took his name from the US satellite launching stations on the island, While Freddie returns from India to sing at parties, Redemption gains a job as a cook, learning to whip up exotic dishes for picnics held under palm trees. Her reputation as a chef proves vital as violence tears paradise apart, threatening the Persian community. Freddie sends Redemption in search of the man she loves before desperately finding a way to get his family off the Spice Islands and rescue his music.