The Art of African Catering

By Caroline Bimbo Afolalu

This book shows the reader the techniques of Nigerian and African cooking. Caroline Bimbo Afolalu is the founder and director of Beautiful Foods Ltd, a food manufacturing company that has being producing the leading African snacks for retailers and major supermarkets in England since 2001. She has a unique experience of translati ng simple food ing

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Printing UK
• Release date: Feb 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781908128652

Book preview

The Art of

African Catering

Caroline Bimbo Afolalu

Beautiful Foods: The Art of African Catering

Featuring the very best of Nigerian recipes

with

expert tips for a perfect wedding

By

Caroline Bimbo Afolalu

First Published in Great Britain in 2014

1st edition

By

Whitstone Books

www.beautifulfoods.co.uk

Beautiful Foods

Caroline Bimbo Afolalu 2015 All Rights Reserved

The rights of Caroline Bimbo Afolalu to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. No Part may be reproduced, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author or publisher.

Spiderwize

Remus House Coltsfoot Drive

Woodston Peterborough

PE2 9BF

www.spiderwize.com

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my husband Tunde Afolalu. Over the years I have found in you the rare and unique virtue of patience.

...my wonderful children Bisi, Pelumi and Ife Afolalu

Acknowledgements

I give glory to God, the author and finisher of our faith, first, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made and for perfecting all that concerns me.

I thank my parents late Mr & Mrs Omolase who were retired school teachers in Nigeria, for putting me through great education and seeing to it that I graduated first with second class upper class BA (Hons) English Language 1990 class of University of Ibadan Nigeria, and also with LLB (Hons) 1997 class of Metropolitan University London.

I thank my husband who has been my rock and support and my wonderful children who have been great blessings in my life. You rock my world, thank you.

My thanks to our mentor and accountant Michael Jegede and Tony Goldstein, our business advisor, for making my dream a reality and making sure I always think big and strategically.

Many thanks to all my family, friends, customers and staff at Beautiful Foods Ltd, my social network friends and my church family.

Finally to my dear friends Shola Akere, Omolara Ololade and Omolade Fafowora, your love and support mean the world to me. Thank you for all your hard work and contribution in making sure this book is a success.

Thank You

Contents

Introduction

Health & Safety

Sourcing Ingredients

Street & Finger Snacks

Soup & Starters

Main Meals

Stews

Accompaniments

Salads

Poultry

Beef

Fish

Snail

Heavy Meals

Fruit Salads

Biscuits

Cakes

Desserts

Fresh Fruits & Nuts

Drinks

How To

Home Cooking Menu Ideas

Healthy Eating

How to plan Weddings and Parties

Wedding Menu Ideas

Theme and Venue for Parties

Picnic Menu Ideas

Photo gallery

Glossary

Introduction

Growing up as a Yoruba girl in Nigeria, West Africa, I have always been fascinated with how simple food ingredients could be put together to make beautiful and delicious meals. Being the last girl of six children, I spent the most time with my mother cooking West African dishes for the family.

After getting married and migrating to the UK, my first mission was to conquer sourcing West African Ingredients and cooking beautiful meals for my family and friends. I love to cook and enjoy the presentation side of food; I see food as an art.

After completing my law degree, I had a desire to mentor and teach both adult and young people the art of West African cooking, so I enrolled at South Bank University Bakery School where I graduated with food technology after two years of intense studies.

It is my aim to open the door of Beautiful Foods’ recipes to the world by introducing you to the wealth of West African cooking. My great expectation is that this recipe book will help my readers, both Africans at home and in the Diaspora, and people from other cultures to understand the richness of West African cuisine, party etiquette and Nigerian culture whilst enjoying the beauty and taste of food from our great continent - Africa.

Health & Safety

I learnt quickly, whilst studying food technology at South Bank University Bakery College, the importance of food safety during cooking and food manufacturing.

Food hygiene is essential in ensuring food does not become contaminated by bacteria which can cause food poisoning leading to illness. There is a good practice to follow in cooking and production of safe food. These principles are also underpinned by food safety laws.

Legislation (Food safety Act 1990)

Food must be of the nature, substance or quality demanded.

Food must not present any risk to health, and must be fit for human consumption.

Good Personal Hygiene

Hands must be washed especially:

When entering the kitchen or food factory

After using the toilet

After smoking

After handling refuse

After cleaning

After eating or drinking

After touching your face, nose or hair

After sneezing or coughing

Nails

Nails should be kept clean and short with no nail polish.

Cuts

Cuts, boils and skin infection should be covered with coloured waterproof plaster.

Illness

People suffering from Illness such as diarrhoea or any other illness that