The Spectator Economic Innovative of the Year awards sponsored by InvestTech are open for entries.

If you are an entrepreneur-led business bringing radical change to its sector, please apply at www.

spectator slash innovator.

We are looking for entries all across the UK and our closing date is the 4th of July.

Hello and welcome to Taber Talk. I'm Olivia Potts, and today we are delighted to be joined by

Olia Hercules. Olia is a Ukrainian chef and food writer.

She is the author of Mamushka, Corkas and Summer Kitchens,

and her new book, Home Food, Recipes to Comfort and Connect,

is released on the 7th of July.

This is actually a slightly different episode of Table Talk,

because we've spoken with Olya before.

But since then, her life has changed

following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. She spearheaded the Cook for Ukraine movement, and today she's

here to talk to us about that. O'ia, welcome back to Table Talk. Hi, thank you so much for having me again.

Tell us what the last few months have been like for you from February when the invasion was

official. What did your life look like just before then? I believe that the day before the

invasion happened, I was kind of portering around my house and planning on doing some light

tax stuff. It was just, you know, it was just an ordinary march, a little bit

sleepy after the holidays still, I think. But yeah, it all changed drastically. And did you become

aware of the severity of what was going on from the news or from your family? I was there. I was, I was, I was, I was in, as in I was there online.

I was, I watched it, I watched it from my bedroom.

I didn't sleep all night when we got the feeling that that's what was going to happen.

...