Unearthing the Vibrant Tastes of Sierra Leone in South London

 INTRO:

         It's unlikely that Peckham, a neighborhood in South London, comes to mind when one thinks of West African cuisine. Chef Maria Bradford, though, has a special place in her heart and on her palette for Peckham market. She moved to England as a youngster, wishing she were back in her native Sierra Leone as she struggled through her formative years in Kent. But when she came onto Peckham, everything changed. "It was such an abrupt change when I first came in Peckham,". It reminded me so much of the activity in Freetown that I didn't imagine such a location existed in England, she says. "You get off the train and arrive in this location all of a sudden, and you're like, Oh my God. I'm at home.

Outlines:

• Chef Maria Bradford: Spicing Up Peckham Market with West African Flavors

•  African ingredients

Chef Maria Bradford: Spicing Up Peckham Market with West African Flavors:

                          Bradford, now 42, recalls her initial connection with Peckham as something she "desperately needed." And she's been a regular at the market ever since. Today, we find ourselves in Peckham, the sun dancing behind overcast clouds. Bradford takes the lead, teaching me how to identify the finest Sierra Leonean ingredients. Weekdays are our choice, as she insists that weekends would extend our visit substantially, thanks to her endless chats with the community's chatty aunties.In Sierra Leone, food is more than just sustenance; it's an emblem of a shared culture, a reminder of the vibrant traditions that connect Maria Bradford to her roots. "I would say it's quite healthy. We eat lots of leaves and greens, and we eat a lot of seafood as well. There's lots of layers to Sierra Leonean food, because we mix things like smoked fish and meat in the same dish… Because we use fish more as a flavoring." When she considers the cuisine of her country, what phrases come to mind? ". That warmth. It feels like I'm sitting at the back of our house with my mum, my nan, my grandmother, my aunties, and everyone – we're sitting around cooking, and it feels like comfort." When she's craving that extra dose of comfort and soothing, Bradford whips up a bowl of egusi soup. Egusi, also known as melon seeds, serves as a thickener, and the recipe includes oxtail, goat meat, white sorrel, smoked barracuda, and Scotch bonnet chilies. Bradford describes it as a "food hug" because after indulging in it, all you'd want to do is take a blissful nap. Our journey through the market leads us to "Bit By Bit," a Sierra Leonean shop run by the exuberant Sarian Karim-Kamara. Upon setting foot in the store, Karim-Kamara bursts into accolades for Bradford, "You're flying the Sierra Leonean flag – we're so proud of you!" She eagerly thumbs through Bradford's new cookbook, "Sweet Salone," a cherished nickname for Sierra Leone. The shop itself is a treasure trove of specialty ingredients necessary to craft the recipes from the book. From the vivid red palm oil, a staple in Sierra Leone, to frozen cassava leaves and smoked barracuda, every corner of Bit By Bit overflows with the essence of home. Bradford is passionate about supporting local      businesses like this one. She notes, "People are really friendly and want to talk about the ingredients – they don't just know about the ingredients, they know what to do with it, how to publicize it It's good to enter these stores and strike up discussions since you never know what you could learn." In addition to running her store, Karim-Kamara is an FGM campaigner who recently launched a campaign with the Mayor of London. She also operates a food bank, providing essential aid to refugees, asylum seekers, and the broader community. Karim-Kamara shares, "For three years, I've been supporting refugees and asylum seekers, but the food bank is now open to the community because everyone is struggling." She adds that they've designed the service to be discreet and respectful, saying, "The way we do the service is people come to the back and help themselves." Our journey continues to another shop brimming with West.

 African ingredients:

               Jute leaves, black velvet tamarind, and white hibiscus. Bradford strikes up a conversation with the shopkeeper, who decides to pre-order the cookbook for her daughter, ensuring the legacy of traditional Sierra Leonean cooking persists through the generations. Bradford is not only an advocate for preserving the core of traditional Sierra Leonean cuisine but also for infusing it with a modern twist – what she calls "Afro-fusion. After a decade of toiling as an accountant, a job she loathed, Bradford sought a change. She enrolled in an evening course at the prestigious Leiths cooking school and ventured into the world of catering. Now, her classical training merges with the flavors of her upbringing, yielding dishes that straddle tradition and innovation. Examples of Afro-fusion recipes in her book include cassava chips with truffle and Parmesan, and the oxtail pepe stew, enhanced with red wine, a French technique that deepens the flavors. Whether crafting traditional dishes or infusing them with Afro-fusion flair, Bradford, still based in Kent, uses her culinary prowess to reconnect with her Sierra Leonean roots. It all began when she moved to the UK and found solace in the kitchen. "So I started cooking, making stuff I like to eat with stuff I can get my hands on," she says. Her culinary journey commenced with a humble dish: peanut soup. "Both peanut butter and chicken are readily available, the speaker observes. And from that modest beginning, her culinary odyssey blossomed into what it is today.