Bread and War by Felicity Spector

Inspirational and insightful, Bread and War is a compelling account of feeding, eating and resistance in wartime Ukraine.

From the military kitchens which cook for soldiers and volunteers, to the chefs who shifted from fine dining to turning out hot meals and loaves of bread for families in need - food has become a central part of Ukraine's war effort.

Food is a weapon, a lifeline, a means of survival. It's also a powerful symbol of national identity and memory for the millions of people who've been forced from their homes.

Bread and War tells the extraordinary stories of just some of those people - the army cooks, the bakers, the kitchen volunteers, the charity workers, the refugees and the young chefs who repeatedly reopen cafes after multiple bombings, determined to reclaim Ukrainian food memories after decades of Soviet suppression, driven to keep Ukraine independent in politics and culture.

A senior producer for Channel 4 News, Felicity Spector has been a television journalist for 34 years, starting her career covering the fall of the Communist bloc and the end of the old Soviet Union. She was appointed as ITN Moscow producer in 1990-91 and visited Ukraine when it declared independence. An influential Instagrammer and Substacker, she has built a following of more than 130,000 with a fascinating account that depicts her after work adventures in restaurants and home baking. @felicityspector

'Food is national security. Food is economy. It is employment, energy, history. Food is everything' Chef Jose Andres, Founder of World Central Kitchen