Ministry of Stories youngsters rustle up Hoxton Market cookbook

The pen is mightier: Ministry of Stories authors brandish copies of their book

With bread pudding, fresh custard doughnuts, greengrocers flogging punnets of strawberries, charcuterie and fresh Korean salads, busy Hoxton Street Market’s eclectic array of food is the perfect source of inspiration for the creative writer.

Using the market’s exotic flavours as muse for a brand new anthology of stories and recipes, Hackney charity Ministry of Stories has served up an appetising new cookbook compiled by young local writers.

In the anthology titled A Story You Never Tasted Before, readers can discover what happens when someone makes a magical Mexican rice pudding and learn a jollof rice rap.

At the launch event, Ministry of Stories set up a stall in Hoxton Market. Young people read out their stories and spoke about what inspired them, and there was a family treasure hunt around the market and local shops.

Local food businesses have also contributed, with children visiting Hoxton Bakery to learn how to make doughnuts and soda bread.

The project demonstrated the vibrancy of the local cuisine, said Councillor Feryal Demirci.

“It’s great to have young people showing such an interest in food and its origins and then taking that to create something unique to them in the form of this new anthology,” she said.

This latest collection of stories is the third volume to be produced through creative writing workshops at the Ministry and is available to buy at Hoxton Street Monster Supplies for the reasonable price of £5.

“This project has very much been about bringing the local community together through the history of food,” said programme leader Tarnia Mason. “Many family members of our writers came in to share why a particular recipe was important to them so there’s been a real generational feel to the creation of the anthology.”