It’s a functional, spacious kitchen with lots of storage, one where you can entertain friends, chat and cook at the same time. A kitchen island with a few chairs or bar stools would be perfect. And the space needs to have lots of natural light, so I can grow the veggies and herbs I use in my recipes right there in the kitchen. In terms of equipment, I like simple but high-quality, sturdy products. A good oven with a grill function, a strong blender, solid pans with a heavy bottom, and a few sharp knives.

I recently bought a bullet blender. You can create smoothies or a marinade in just two minutes, it saves so much time. My cooking style is very herb-based, so fresh herbs are my favorite ingredient. Cilantro, mint, parsley, rosemary, and not the kind you find in 20 gram plastic packages in the supermarket; I’m talking about giant bushes of lush green herbs from the market. No one should be afraid to use too many herbs, it just adds so much depth. If you overdo it with dried oregano, you might have a problem, but you can never go wrong with fresh herbs.

Mazi Mas works with women who have migrated to London with their husbands and often have to stay at home to take care of the family. Or refugee women with a less fortunate motive to start afresh. Often, these women have received an excellent education back home, and are unable to find proper jobs for many reasons. For the past two years, I have been involved with Mazi Mas and have trained a wonderful group of women to become professional chefs using their own cultural backgrounds to their advantage. It’s a wonderful concept, because you give these women the tools and strength to improve their situation. I have worked with three Iranian women, for example, and have learned so much from them about a cuisine that is still undervalued and not very well exposed outside of Iran. In a way, Persian cuisine is similar to Pakistani or Indian cuisine, but with the emphasis leaning more towards the diversity of herbs rather than that of spice and heat. The most important ingredient in Iranian cuisine has to be time. Some recipes take two whole days to prepare and cook properly. You need the time and space to get those recipes right. In this way, cooking becomes a group effort and lets you catch up and connect with the women around you.