“The most important dish is kutia, a sweet porridge made from wheat, poppy seeds, honey and nuts. It’s sweet and I think Irish people would find it strange – it’s a bit like granola with poppy seeds. My grandmother always said there should be beetroot borshch on the table, served alongside varenyky dumplings filled with potato, cabbage or cherries, and holubtsi cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and vegetables,” she says.

“But the kutia is the most important and a big tradition says you should leave the dishes overnight.”

This tradition of leaving food out overnight is to allow the spirits of dead relatives to come and celebrate too. Other dishes might include uzvar, a warm drink made from dried fruit; mushroom gravy for dipping bread; and fried fish or herring, as meat is avoided before Ch

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