When I was a baby, my mother had a restaurant in Lagos called Checkers.
I remember hearing stories about her carrying me tied around her back, Africanmama style. So, I was raised in a restaurant, and I just love that. Her egusi soup, made with ground melon seeds and greens and served with pounded yam, was one of the most popular dishes on the menu. It’s also possibly the first Nigerian recipe my mum taught me to cook.
We had a family cook called Papa.
I think it’s because of him and the many other cooks who fed us as kids that I’ve become such a picky eater. Papa worked at a hotel for expats before joining our family, and his food was exquisite, varying from curries, samoosas and pies to casseroles. My mum cooked more of the traditional Nigerian foods such as
