In the last fortnight, food writing has seemed frivolous.

Creating recipes, reviewing restaurants and eating out for a living is a dream come true. However, but when people are dying and their homes being bombed just 1500 miles crafting prose about chicken soup and hummus seems superficial.

On International Women’s Day, I’m loving the fact that two female food writers have shown you can do anything through the seemingly simple medium of food.

Cookery book writers Olia Hercules (Ukrainian) and Alissa Timoshkina (Russian) have founded #cookforukraine, via which people have been encouraged to cook their recipes and either simply donate or sell the food for contributions to the charity. To date they have raised more than £111,000 for Unicef.

The list of suggested recipes on their Just Giving page shows just how closely linked we Ashkenazim are to Eastern European Ukraine. First up is a Jewish Ukranian challah; there are also recipes for borscht, stuffed cabbage leaves and an apple cake — all foods of our forefathers.

Nicole Freeman — founder of the children’s cookery classes, The Kids' Kitchen — felt she needed to take action and inspired by the #cookforukraine efforts. On Sunday March 13, Nicole will be going live on Facebook to teach children (and adults) how to make a (very haimishe) poppy seed roll and in doing so, raising money for the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

When sliced it looks like old fashioned strudel-style biscuits loaded with crunchy poppy seeds. It will take you straight back to your Bubbah’s tea table. “It’s a slightly challenging recipe, but one that children will definitely be able to make” said Nicole when we spoke
yesterday.

To join in head over to Nicole’s Facebook page Kids Cook for Ukraine – The Kids’ Kitchen where you will find the recipe. (It’s also on her The Kid’s Kitchen Facebook page.)

Nicole told me “It makes more than one roll, so two children can make one recipe, or you can make one with your child.”

The ways in which Nicole hopes to raise money are:

a)  Donations from those attending the (virtual) class – Nicole suggests £10 “or whatever you can afford”;
b)   Sell slices of your delicious rolled poppy seed biscuits — think mini cake sale; or
c) Just make a donation on her Just Giving page!

The class will take place between 10am and 11am on Sunday March 13, but it will be recorded, so if you cannot make it, follow it on the Facebook page at any time.

The poppy seeds are particularly fitting as we head towards Purim — Queen Esther would have been proud.

If you’re in a hurry to get shopping - the ingredients (and basic equipment) needed are:

Kids’ Cook for Ukraine - Poppy seed roll
Make 2 large rolls

For the filling:
225g poppy seeds
150g caster sugar
1 tbsp butter
120ml milk
1 tsp lemon juice

For the dough:
1x 7g sachet of dried yeast
2 tbsp caster sugar
120ml warm water
275g self-raising flour
55g butter
1 egg yolk (keep the white to brush the top of the pastry)

• Equipment:
  • Saucepan and spatula
  • Food processor

  • Jug
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small bowl (for the yeast)
  • Rolling pin
  • Lined baking tray
  • Pastry brush
  
  Substitutes:
  • Dairy – use dairy free milk and Pure spread
  • Gluten – use GF flour and 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
  • Egg – use an egg replacer like Orgran or Oggs