Episode 80: Sabrina Ghayour

Spinning Plates with Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sabrina Ghayour is a British-Iranian chef who's written several books which adorn my kitchen shelves, about Persian and Middle Eastern food.

She came to the UK with her mum and grandmother in 1979 as a refugee. By the age of ten she was in charge of the family kitchen and after being made redundant from her marketing job aged 35, she stumbled into catering as a career, putting on cookery classes and supper clubs (where strangers pay to come and eat at your house) and she then realised that people (people like me!) wanted to know how to cook Persian food themselves.

By her 40s, Sabrina had given up her childhood dream of getting married and having children and was enjoying her single life to the full. But just before Covid she got together with Steven, a divorced father of two boys, now aged 10 and 13. Sabrina and Steven got married a year ago and I loved talking to her about being a stepmother - a role which, let's face it, doesn't get the best press!

Although Sabrina says there is no handbook for being a stepmother, I'm pretty sure she could write one. She makes it her top priority to let the boys have pride of place next to their dad on the sofa. She has a warm and teasing relationship with the boys but has also laid down some of her own groundrules, including that they all convene for dinner together, often with Sabrina's mum who also lives in their house.

After our chat Sabrina cooked some of her lovely food for us and I was left wishing that I had to convene for dinner with her too, on a very regular basis!

Spinning Plates is presented by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, it is produced by Claire Jones and post-production is by Richard Jones

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