I have always loved to bake. I found cooking difficult, especially after I got married. It took years to get to a level where I am proud of my cooking. Proud that all that experimenting finally paid off and now I dona t freak out at the thought of guests coming for dinner, I welcome it. Every Ramadan for the last 6 years I have raised money for charity with my children. We have sold cakes, sweets, balloons, absolutely anything! This year I started teaching children how to cook online. Which gave me the idea to write a cookbook of the recipes I was teaching them. Recipes that are easy to make and that are perfect for those new to cooking. The whole idea behind these classes was to teach the next generation how to cook hearty homely meals easily. The profits from this cookbook will help out individuals in desperate need of something, whether it be medical assistance, a house, clothes, rations, a wedding, anything that they cana t get the help for easily. I am targeting, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan as I have reliable people on the ground that can check to see that it is a genuine cause and send evidence of where the money will be spent. I will update the website www.kitchenmagiccookbook.com regularly with the profits made from the cookbook and which projects have been funded. Thank you for your support, I pray you all love the dishes you cook from this book and they bring joy to your family as they do to mine!

Once I hand them off to you, these recipes are no longer mine. They’re yours, to do with as you please. And maybe, in the act of receiving, a little thread of connection will be woven between me and each of you.

How can a recipe express the joy of sharing a meal in person? This is the feeling that Samin Nosrat sets out to capture in Good Things, offering more than 125 recipes for the things she most loves to cook.

You’ll find go-to recipes for ricotta custard pancakes, chicken braised with apricots and harissa, a crunchy Calabrian chili crisp, super-chewy sky-high focaccia and a decades-in-the-making, childhood-evoking yellow cake. Samin also shares tips and techniques, from how to buy olive oil (check the harvest date) to when to splurge on the best ingredients (salad dressing) to the one acceptable substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano (Grana Padano, if you must).

Good Things captures, with Samin’s trademark blend of warmth and precision, the essence of what makes cooking such an important source of comfort and delight, and invites you to join her at the table.

Food is so much more than just fuel. It’s pleasure. It’s comfort. It’s connection. It’s culture and tradition. It’s celebration. In the same way, Paradise is so much more than just a cookbook. It’s indulgent. It’s decadent. It’s vibrant. It’s unapologetically rich. It’s tropical. It’s African but also global. It’s all about good food – the kind that makes you forget everything else for a moment.
 
Much of today’s messaging around food instils us with feelings of guilt or shame simply for enjoying what we eat. With  Paradise,  Kenneth encourages us to let our hair down, to embrace moments of indulgence, to occasionally treat ourselves and our loved ones. Go ahead, eat that cake. Celebrate friendships with pizza and red wine. Say yes to extra cheese and that second helping.
 
The recipes in  Paradise  are as varied as they are easy and delicious. Experiencing and appreciating the flavours and traditions of a variety of cultures, both regionally and internationally, has given Kenneth a unique outlook on food, allowing him to fuse various culinary traditions to create something truly distinctive. From traditional southern African dishes such as seswaa, mokwetjepe, magwinya and Cape Malay curry to global favourites such as Jamaican oxtail, Korean fried chicken, Vietnamese pho and Mississippi mud pie, Paradise takes classics you know and love, and elevates them to their full potential – using quality ingredients, better techniques and a deep respect for flavour.
 
So be inspired. Be empowered. Explore the art of cooking and discover the pleasure it can bring to your life as you enter Paradise…