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Meghan Markle, 37, has written the foreword to the new book produced by cooks from the Hubb Community Kitchen, an initiative based near the site of the Grenfell tower in London.
The Duchess of Sussex says in her foreword for Together: Our Community Cookbook: “I immediately felt connected to this community kitchen; it is a place for women to laugh, grieve, cry and cook together.
“Melding cultural identities under a shared roof, it creates a space to feel a sense of normalcy – in its simplest form, the universal need to connect, nurture, and commune through food, through crisis or joy – something we can all relate to…
“Through this charitable endeavour, the proceeds will allow the kitchen to thrive and keep the global spirit of community alive.”
The duchess first visited the kitchen in January and has made a number other private trips to the centre to meet volunteers and learn more about their work.
Some of the recipes are family favourites and all have been created by the cooks who support not only residents affected by the Grenfell fire but others in the community.
Meghan helped put the group in touch with a publisher and her Royal Foundation provided assistance with legal and administrative issues.
All proceeds will go back to the Hubb and the book will be available in stores this week.
In the introduction, the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen write: “Our kitchen has always been a place of good food, love, support and friendship.
“We cook the recipes we’ve grown up with; there’s no stress, and the recipes always work because they have been made so many times – it’s proper comfort food…”
The dishes described in the book are the women’s own personal recipes from across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.
The Royal Foundation is administering the transfer of funds from the sale of the book to the Hubb Community Kitchen and related projects.
The Grenfell fire was Britain’s deadliest fire on domestic premises since World War Two and there was criticism that the authorities were slow to provide new permanent accommodation for many of the survivors.
One of the contributors to the book, Munira Mahmud, 34, said she and her friends had approached Al-Manaar to ask if they could use the kitchen there and the Hubb project – hubb means love in Arabic – arose out of it.
Mahmud said: “Last summer, we were placed in a hotel and I had no kitchen to cook for my family.
“It was very emotional for me to get in the kitchen. The moment I started cooking I was in tears. I didn’t know why though. I was just excited to be back in the kitchen again.
“Word started to spread – the mums from my son’s school came along and they told their friends, too. Soon there were women from different cultures all cooking, swapping recipes, talking and laughing together.”
The duchess is photographed on the front of the of the book helping out and Mahmud said the royal had been happy to join in.
Mahmud wrote: “She wore an apron. I can’t believe I made her wash rice! After we said that we could only use the kitchen twice a week due to funding, she mentioned, ‘How about sharing your recipes with other people?’. And that’s how it happened.”
Meghan will host an event at Kensington Palace, where her home with Harry is located, on Sept. 20 to launch the cookbook with the Royal Foundation administering proceeds from sales to the Hubb project.
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