Andi Oliver was already whipping up cauliflower cheese at the age of seven, and could make a full roast dinner by the time she turned nine. So when she witnessed a home economics teacher pouring a packet of rice into a big, bubbling pan of water, leaving it to simmer then straining and rinsing it, she was puzzled to say the least. “I was like, ‘That’s not how you cook rice’. And I got kicked out of the lesson,” she says, chuckling at the memory. “I had to stand in the hallway. I was like, ‘What is she doing to the rice?'” Not that this incident derailed the culinary career of the 59-year-old chef, restauranteur and Great British Menu host, who was born in Kent and has lived in east London for 25 years. Oliver was taught to cook by her mother, who was born on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts (her father hails from Antigua – the pair met in Leicester). Soon, she was in charge of dishing up dinner for herself and older brother Sean, who died of sickle cell anaemia in 1990, aged 27. “My mum was a teacher and my dad was off working and having philandering affairs, so when I came home from school I would make the tea for me and my brother.” Describing herself as a “latchkey kid”, Oliver doesn’t think she had a difficult childhood. “That’s just how it was,” she says, as warm and jovial during our chat as she is on TV. “I didn’t feel bad about it. I didn’t sit around wondering where my mummy was. It was just, that was life, that’s what you did, you got on with it.” Nor was she devastated when her parents eventually separated: “I was thrilled! I was delighted. They didn’t get on, they used to fight all the time. It was awful, so they were both much better when they weren’t together.” Oliver and her partner – restauranteur Garfield Hackett, with whom she shares daughter – the TV presenter – are still going strong after more than 27 years together. “The kindest man I know and my partner in life and all things” is how she describes Hackett in her inaugural cookbook, The Pepperpot Diaries. An ode to Caribbean cookery, as well as detailing essential eats, the book also chronicles three months Oliver spent in Antigua – a trip which started at Christmas 2019 and had to be extended (“the best luck in the world”) when lockdown began. How would the chef – known for her colourful outfits and infectious grin – describe the region’s cusine to the uninitiated? “The legacy in each island is very different,” she says. “But there are basic things like rice and peas, curry chicken and fried plantain, curry goat or goat water [a type of stew], fried fish. “One of the things I really hope [with this book] is that people start to think about that difference and celebrate it.” Even the classic titular dish – a slow cooked stew made with smoked beef and pork, veggies and beans – varies from island to island: “There’s a Guyanese pepperpot that’s a completely different dish to the Antiguan dish. And then they don’t really make pepperpot in Jamaica.” In her diary entries, the author doesn’t shy away from discussing the tragic history of the Caribbean, explaining how slavery influenced the islands’ food heritage. “You can’t really be in the Caribbean without thinking about those things,” Oliver says. “The legacy of that past, dark though it may be, is right there in your face.” And she’s keen to talk: “I think if you bring those things out into the light and discuss them we can divest ourselves of the pain of them and try to move forward in our lives.” Having experienced racism from a young age (“I’ve been told by people in England my whole life to ‘go home’, even though I was born here”), Oliver went through a “big angry phase” in her 20s. “When I was younger, my anger and my fury used to work against me quite a lot,” she reflects. “But now, as an adult woman who’s about to turn 60 I understand who I am and my power and where I come from and where I belong – where I have the right to be and where I want to be.” How did that angry youngster harness those emotions and channel them into a more positive outcome? “Age! Age helps enormously because you have so many different experiences. You start to learn that unbridled fury is in fact giving away your power,” she says. “You need to redirect it so that it becomes your strength, becomes the fuel and the fire that drives you – not the storm that wearies you.” ‘The Pepperpot Diaries: Stories From My Caribbean Table’ by Andi Oliver (published by DK, £27; photography by Robert Billington). Read More What is coronation chicken? The story of the royal recipe and how to make it Easy coronation chicken pie recipe chosen by Mary Berry Three one-pot recipes for washing up hater A coronation sherry cherry trifle recipe fit for a king Ainsley Harriott: Forget coronation chicken – make coronation kebabs instead Angela Hartnett: Mutton curry should be the new coronation chicken

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Today show star Jill Martin has been diagnosed with breast cancer. On 17 July, the 47-year-old lifestyle contributor revealed on Today that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, just one week after she tested positive for the BRCA gene – inherited gene mutations that can increase the risk of developing breast cancer. In an essay shared to Today.com, the TV presenter explained that she learned of her diagnosis on 26 June. Her doctor had recently suggested she get genetic testing due to her family history with breast cancer, which revealed she had tested positive for the BRCA2 gene. Martin elected to undergo preventive bilateral mastectomy, because she had a 60 to 90 per cent chance of developing breast cancer. However, less than a week later, an MRI scan revealed that she had already developed breast cancer. “I am telling this story now because I couldn’t go through months of operations, and start to recover both physically and mentally, without shouting from the rooftops telling everyone to check with their doctors to see if genetic testing is appropriate,” Martin wrote in her essay. The BRCA genes – an abbreviation for “BReast CAncer gene” – are two different genes that have been found to impact a person’s chances of developing breast cancer. There are two BRCA genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which normally help repair DNA breaks that can lead to certain cancers. However, when there is a mutation in the BRCA gene, it can no longer be effective in preventing breast cancer. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the carrier of the mutated gene can also pass a gene mutation down to their offspring. It’s been found that people with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s estimated that 55 to 65 per cent of women with the BRCA1 mutation will develop breast cancer before age 70, while approximately 45 per cent of women with a BRCA2 mutation will develop breast cancer by age 70. Martin revealed that she will be having a double mastectomy, which will then determine her treatment plan moving forward. After her surgery, she also plans on having her ovaries and fallopian tubes as part of the preventative surgery process, because her chances of getting ovarian cancer are now 20 per cent higher, Martin said. “By the time I recover from my first surgery, I hope that many of you will know your results and can make proactive decisions with your doctors, families and loved ones,” she said. “That is the silver lining to this mess for me. It is what is keeping me going and giving me strength.” The Today show contributor explained that, although she had a clear mammogram test back in January, her mammogram still missed the presence of breast cancer that was later picked up by the MRI scan. “I am talking about this not to scare you, but to raise awareness so that maybe you can be tested and identify a BRCA or other genetic mutation earlier,” Martin wrote. “If I had known I was BRCA positive, I would have gotten screened more regularly, with an MRI alternating with my mammograms.” “What I didn’t know before this experience was that an MRI can pick up cancers that mammograms miss,” she continued. “So while my mammograms missed the presence of breast cancer, an MRI might have helped me catch it earlier.” Mammograms miss one in eight breast cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. For those who test positive for the BRCA gene, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendeds screening for breast cancer with an MRI starting at age 25, and mammograms at age 30. Martin added that earlier testing might have allowed her “the opportunity to have preventative surgery,” she said, “which is something I had planned to do only days before I found out that I actually had cancer.” She wrote: “Different people cope in different ways; for me, I am not hiding under the covers crying. Instead, I want to do everything I can to beat this and protect my family.” Read More Sarah Ferguson says late Queen’s corgis were unimpressed by her post-breast cancer surgery recuperation Country star Morgan Wade reveals plans for double mastectomy after testing for breast cancer gene Former NBC anchor reveals she underwent mastectomy after testing positive for gene that increases cancer risk Sarah Ferguson says corgis were unimpressed by her post-surgery recuperation Sarah Ferguson sweetly honours Queen Elizabeth’s memory amid cancer diagnosis Sarah Ferguson says breast cancer diagnosis was ‘scary’ for Eugenie and Beatrice

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