Arts & Culture

Soul Food from the ‘New East’ Rosehip and Rye - cooked locally in Southwark’s Spa Terminus By Susan Isaacs Arts and Restaurant Correspondent

Snippets of Russian songs, and the soft thud of dancing feet reverberate from under the ice-cold railway arches near Maltby Street Market.

Two gorgeous chefs are dancing in several pairs of thick woollen socks to keep warm as they cook. They are Katrina Kollegaeva, an Estonian, and Karina Baldry, a Muscovite, cooks, food anthropologists and writers. They bring the delicious flavours of Eastern Europe from their kitchen in the heart of Southwark, to the UK. They cater for events and deliver a scrumptious array of Eastern European food to your doors, once a week. When the first lockdown came down, the two women quickly set up an online shop, where you can buy their own home-cooked food, as well as a selection of artisanal products from the UK, many of whom are their Spa Terminus neighbours: Oliveology Greek oil, raw yoghurt from Kappacasein Dairy, Welsh cured meats, Lithuanian honey. The charismatic duo started out in 2012 when they met at the launch of Karina’s book ‘Russia on a Plate’. Their ‘modest’ mission was to revolutionise the image of Eastern-European food in the UK. They began by creating a supperclub exploring the food cultures from across, what they call, the ‘New East’ - from Estonia to Russia, Ukraine and Georgia. Many of their events provided a dash of theatre as well. A white rabbit in full costume might beckon you to an Alice in Wonderland Tea Party, replete with Russian pastries, and Rosehip Tea. This evolved into a catering and delivery service, which is particularly helpful during the pandemic, and with lockdown in mind, they have developed recipes which can be prepared from frozen. The company started out catering mainly for Russian expats, who are scattered all over London. But they wanted to introduce these flavours from the New East to a whole new audience, and they are doing that extremely successfully. Saturday afternoon our whole family waited in excited anticipation. At 3 o’clock on the dot came a ring on the doorbell. A tall dark handsome man, with the looks and accent of a Russian actor, put his head round the door. But he was no actor, he was the genuine thing. And he came bearing food wrapped in beautiful packages. We leaped on the goodies. Badrijani was the first dish we opened, delicate aubergine slices, griddled, cooked in spice and garlic. There was delicious beetroot cured salmon, and Blinchiki parcels- little pastries filled with beef, incredibly more-ish. Next came truffle pelmeni - frozen! These are Siberian dumplings stuffed with buttery potatoes, mushrooms, and truffle paste. Following instructions, we boiled them gently for about 10 minutes until they floated to the top fished them out and served them with butter and caramelised onions. I should have waited patiently for the Kartoshka truffles - chocolate, with walnuts, and brandy, but I must confess, once I ate one, I downed the rest of them very very very quickly indeed, to the irritation of everyone else. The Bad dam buri - which are Georgian pastries with (more!) walnuts and cardamom, are equally delicious, and disappeared equally quickly. It is so impressive the way Karina, and Katrina have adapted to this tough economic climate, and bring the delights of Russian food to Southwark and beyond. If you are looking for delicious and unusual food or want to give a special present to a friend, I cannot think of a better gift. It is truly delicious.

www.rosehipandrye.co.uk Instagram and Facebook @RosehipandRye

‘At 3 o’clock on the dot came a ring on the doorbell. A tall dark handsome man, with the looks and accent of a Russian actor, put his head round the door. But he was no actor, he was the genuine thing. And he came bearing food wrapped in beautiful packages.’