Olia Hercules Ox Barn Restaurant Takeover
Olia will be cooking flavours of Ukraine. From beef rib borsch to rose geranium honey cake, Olia will transport guests from our restaurant to her home, Ukraine.
Profits from the ticket price will go to the Humanitarian Headquarters of the DOF Volunteer Centre, a hub in Mykolaiv, serving and delivering bread and other humanitarian supplies to military units as well as displaced and vulnerable people in the region.
On the night, Olia will be signing copies of her new book, Strong Roots; A Ukranian Story of Food, Exile and Hope. The book can be pre-ordered when you reserve your table or purchased during the event.
We will also be hosting a talk with Olia Hercules and Felicity Spector at 5pm on the evening of the event - read more here. Tickets can be bought via the link below.
Olia Hercules Seaside Boarding House, Dorset
The Seaside Boarding House has invited Olia to be part of its whistlestop guest residencies, the final dinner of their 2025 guest chef series. It’s a one day event and on the menu will be wild mushroom borsch with smoked pears and pampushky buns; slow roasted pork on a bed of kraut, dried fruits and onions, served with a fermented salad and ‘cowpat’ potatoes; seeded pumpkin korovai with baked milk ice-cream.
Guests will be invited to support a mobile bakery in Mykolayiv where Olia’s parents are from, via a QR code. The bakery produces sourdough loaves and delivers them free of charge to communities hardest hit by the war.
On the night, Olia will be signing copies of her new book, Strong Roots; A Ukranian Story of Food, Exile and Hope.
Olia will read from her new book and there will be a Q&A with the audience. Tickets can be bought via this link.
Cambridge Literary Festival
The Cambridge Literary Festival hosts events throughout the year, featuring a wide range of writers, artists and speakers. This winter, Olia will be in conversation with Zuzanna Lachendro, to talk about Strong Roots, Olia’s new memoir.
Tickets available here.
Olia Hercules Huddersfield Ukrainian Club
Olia talks to Michael Drapan about her book, Strong Roots, A Ukrainian Family Story of War, Exile and Hope. There will be an audience Q&A and book signing. Books will be available for purchase on the night.
Olia’s delicious Ukrainian snacks will be on offer, and Huddersfield’s Ukrainian dance troupe, Zolota Kalyna, will be performing some traditional Ukrainian dances. This evening promised to be a wonderful celebration of Ukrainian culture.
Tickets available here.
Borsch and Pampushky
Join me on Thursday 11th December for a hands-on workshop where we will make and cook a traditional Ukrainian borsch with smoked pears. Borsch is not just a beetroot soup but a rich broth, with a variety of flavours and vegetables. There are many versions of borsch, depending on where you lived in Ukraine, and we’ll talk about that. I’ll also tell you about the wooden spoon and how it was used to test whether your borsch was good or not! We’ll make Pampushky, aka fluffy Ukrainian garlic bread, traditionally served with borsch.
Once all the work has been done, we’ll sit down and eat family style, sharing food, stories and laughter in my kitchen.
We can accommodate most things apart from gluten intolerance.
Cost is £135 per person and includes all ingredients and dinner plus wine.
Filo Workshop with Olia and Meni
Join Olia Hercules and Meni Valle at Olia's London home on Thursday, 16th October 2025, at 6.30 pm, for an evening of making filo pastry from scratch and turning it into beautiful dishes with Olia and Greek pies from Meni's new cookbook Thessaloniki.
We'll work together in the kitchen, learning the gentle techniques of rolling dough into delicate sheets, then filling and shaping them into golden pies that we'll share over a delicious feast. The evening flows naturally from cooking to eating, with a table full of dishes we've made together, accompanied by organic wine, and Olia's homemade kvas.
It's the kind of cooking experience that feels like visiting old friends - hands busy, conversation flowing, and everyone contributing to something delicious. You'll head home with a collection of recipes and the satisfaction that comes from spending time making real food with lovely people in a warm kitchen. Cost is £160 per person and includes all ingredients and dinner.
Bury St.Edmonds Literature Festival
1.30pm
The Enduring Spirit of Ukraine.
Olia will be in conversation with TV producer and journalist Felicity Spector, whose new book Food and War asks how you source, cook and take joy in food in the midst of war and loss? Chaired by Nic Miller.
Tickets available here.
5 x 15, The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle, 35 Powis Square (off Portobello Road) London W11 2AY
Tickets available here.
Marlborough Literary Festival
Marlborough Town Hall (The Assembly Room), Wiltshire, SN8 1AA
Saturday 27th September 2025 11.30 am
Tickets available here.
Edinburgh International Book Festival, A Taste of Ukrainian History
Tickets available here.
Hand-cut noodles & Fermented Tomatoes
Join me at my home in Forest Gate, London and learn how to make my special family recipe - Ukrainian hand-cut lokshyna (noodles). I will show you how to make egg and water dough from scratch (and a vegan version if you are vegan), how to cure the dough and how to cut it by hand. It is the most relaxing, meditative process. You can use these noodles in the future with any pasta sauce that you love.
I will also show you how to ferment tomatoes, and you will be going home with a jar full of “pickles of the future”. You will also be offered to become part of my Fermentation Support WhatsApp group, where you can send me picture and ask me to guide you throughout your fermentation journey..
After the workshop, we will eat the noodles with a delicious sauce served with the fermented tomatoes. The dough that you will learn how to make, can also be used for a myriad of dishes - from chicken or vegetable soup with noodles, to dumplings to lasagne. You will be provided with a digital booklet with all the recipes we’d learnt during the class and more!
Vegans and other dietaries welcome, but sadly I am not an expert in gluten-free dough, so I will not be able to accommodate celiacs and gluten-free this time.
Please come along, and please, spread the word.
The Kitchen Table, Dorset
Join Olia and Sarah Rudder to talk about Olia’s new memoir, Strong Roots. Tickets available here.
Cookery School: Ukrainian pork & potatoes
New potatoes Ukrainian-style and Ukrainian pork (or chicken) escalopes in batter; cauliflower fritters for vegetarians.
Zoom Class: available through my Patreon subscription £35 for live, and £10 or £2 for the recording.
Georgian Dumpling & Georgian Ferments
Learn how to fold Gul Khanum and Manty (Central Asia); Varenyky (Ukraine); Khinkali and Kurze (Caucaus).
These are a part workshop and part feast, where I serve you a beautiful lunch or dinner, with lots of ferments and either the dumplings that we’ve made, or, if it’s a fermentation class, a variety of ferments, freshly baked solid malt sourdough, ohirkivka soup and a main. Organic wine and beer and homemade kvas will be on offer too. You will receive a big pack of recipes and will also be able to take some food home. I provide Kilner jars for all the ferments, so you will be going home with the ferments that you’ve made and extra little bits. For the dumplings, we always advise to bring a container as there is plenty left over.
Dumpling Workshop
Learn how to fold Gul Khanum and Manty (Central Asia); Varenyky (Ukraine); Khinkali and Kurze (Caucaus).
These are a part workshop and part feast, where I serve you a beautiful lunch or dinner, with lots of ferments and either the dumplings that we’ve made, or, if it’s a fermentation class, a variety of ferments, freshly baked solid malt sourdough, ohirkivka soup and a main. Organic wine and beer and homemade kvas will be on offer too. You will receive a big pack of recipes and will also be able to take some food home. I provide Kilner jars for all the ferments, so you will be going home with the ferments that you’ve made and extra little bits. For the dumplings, we always advise to bring a container as there is plenty left over.
The Writing Club: Caroline Eden
Award winning writer and literary critic, Caroline Eden, will join me in conversation. Caroline is the author of several books, including Samarkand, Black Sea and Red Sands.
Zoom Class: available through my Patreon subscription £35 for live, and £10 or £2 for the recording.
Dumpling Workshop
Learn how to fold Gul Khanum and Manty (Central Asia); Varenyky (Ukraine); Khinkali and Kurze (Caucaus).
These are a part workshop and part feast, where I serve you a beautiful lunch or dinner, with lots of ferments and either the dumplings that we’ve made, or, if it’s a fermentation class, a variety of ferments, freshly baked solid malt sourdough, ohirkivka soup and a main. Organic wine and beer and homemade kvas will be on offer too. You will receive a big pack of recipes and will also be able to take some food home. I provide Kilner jars for all the ferments, so you will be going home with the ferments that you’ve made and extra little bits. For the dumplings, we always advise to bring a container as there is plenty left over.
Cookery School: Poppyseed strudel
Poppyseed strudel using ready pastry (if you can’t be bothered to do a yeasted roll for Easter)
Zoom Class: available through my Patreon subscription £35 for live, and £10 or £2 for the recording.
The Writing Club: Ed Smith
I will be joined by cookbook writer and chef, Ed Smith. Ed has published 4 books, On the Side, Good Eggs, Crave, and The Borough Market Cookbook.
Zoom Class: available through my Patreon subscription £35 for live, and £10 or £2 for the recording.
Dumpling Workshop
Learn how to fold Gul Khanum and Manty (Central Asia); Varenyky (Ukraine); Khinkali and Kurze (Caucaus).
These are a part workshop and part feast, where I serve you a beautiful lunch or dinner, with lots of ferments and either the dumplings that we’ve made, or, if it’s a fermentation class, a variety of ferments, freshly baked solid malt sourdough, ohirkivka soup and a main. Organic wine and beer and homemade kvas will be on offer too. You will receive a big pack of recipes and will also be able to take some food home. I provide Kilner jars for all the ferments, so you will be going home with the ferments that you’ve made and extra little bits. For the dumplings, we always advise to bring a container as there is plenty left over.
The Writing Club: Pysanky
An Easter special talk with British born Ukrainian Paul Luniw, a pysanka master/expert.
Zoom Class: available through my Patreon subscription £35 for live, and £10 or £2 for the recording.