Middle Eastern food captures the scents and spices, exotic tastes and textures from an intriguing part of the world. London’s smash hit restaurant Honey & Co, has proved just how popular this cuisine has become. Husband and wife couple Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer have impeccable credentials – he was head chef at Ottolenghi and she was the head pastry chef there, plus Executive chef at Nopi. They plough all that experience and passion into cooking here, at their own tiny dining room in the UK capital. Honey& Co is a simple space with no fuss decor and the most minimal of table settings,  laying bare the backdrop for the real smells and tastes of the food Middle East, willingly applauded by the clatter of cutlery from happy diners. As the pair say ‘'Honey & Co. is our first solo project. 12 years in the making, it is a labour of nothing but love and an extension of our home. The food we cook is the food we grew up on and also the food we grew to love, our moms’ and aunties’ food, the street food we always crave, the food we tried at our friends’ houses, sometimes, things we only heard about or imagined, and most of all, the things we miss from our childhood.'

At this year’s Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival, the couple’s cookery demo was a sellout, receiving rave reviews. So they are doing it all again this coming Saturday 6th June, at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Find out more and book here. Bring some of that warm Middle Eastern sunshine to your own cooking this summer!

Following that, on the 15th of June, the enterprising among you may want to learn how to Start Your Own Cafe Business. A three week course which teaches all you need to know, from Where to Start to Concept Planning, all the business acumen and menu planning knowledge you’ll need, and much more. Course is led by Blathnaid Bergin, the Restaurant Advisor to Ballymaloe Cookery School, who has worked with many new food business in Ireland. find out more and book on the link above – maybe there is a new career out there just waiting to be discovered!