Esi's Ghana Hot Pot

So last Sunday, I did one of the most exciting and challenging food related things I have ever done...I ran my own Ghanaian food stall, Esi's Ghana Hot Pot. WOOP WOOP!

The idea for Esi's Ghana Hot Pot has been bubbling around in my brain for a while. As an appreciator of good food and innovative food products, it has long surprised me and saddened me that there is a distinct lack of representation of food and culture from the African continent at food festivals and major events. As a British Ghanaian foodie, I wanted to change this, one small step at a time.

Thankfully, the stall was extremely popular at this year's Fine Food Fayre run by the St Andrews' Fine Food Society, who did an amazing job coordinating 50 food and drink artisans, as well as a large group of university societies sharing and selling a wide range of international treats. I've never fried so much plantain in my life, but thankfully I had some fabulously enthusiastic helpers who gave up their Sunday to serve up and fetch and carry. Me daase pii (Thanks very much). Alongside the plantain, there was Nkatse nkwan (chicken and peanut soup), Edua froyee (bean stew), Waakye (rice and black eyed beans) and froyee (tomato and chilli sauce) .

You may ask, why am I only writing about Esi's Ghana Hot Pot retrospectively?

Well, as I have learnt over the last few weeks, running a food stall and catering can be very complex in the United Kingdom. There is a small mountain of guidelines and regulations to think about, on top of making several litres of Nkatse nkwan and anything else. By the grace of God, I jumped through all the necessary hoops so that I could happily cook for the masses. Also, Esi's Ghana Hot Pot is a pop up business. As a student in my final semester of study, the books have to come first for a while, but all being well EGHP will pop up again.

Is this plantain for you?

Although my name is on the sign (lovingly hand drawn by Tamara), without lots of people willing to give their taste buds a new experience and spreading the word about EGHP, Sunday wouldn't have gone so well and Tony Singh from the  BBC's Incredible Spicemen probably wouldn't have wanted to take a couple of selfies with me.

To keep up to date with changes to EGHP , check out the Facebook page. www.facebook.com/ghanahotpot

I'm always interested to read your comments and have people come up to me on horrifically rainy days to tell me they love my soup. 

If you want me to cook especially for you, send me a message and I'll see what I can do!

* I  didn't take the pictures, The Albany Parker, Owl Eyes, Allen Farrington and Jane did.