“My name is Saydul, I’m from Habiganj in Bangladesh. It’s a district town and I grew up there near a river. I have travelled a lot in Bangladesh, it’s a beautiful country with many landscapes from the Sundarbans forest to Saint Martins Island to the hill stations of Khagrachari and Cox’s Bazaar with a long sand beach.

I went to university in Sylhet and there I started cooking by myself because I missed home cooking. I kept cooking for my friends and neighbours. The first time I cooked biriyani, I called my mum! When I was growing up, having guests over was very normal. A minimum of 2 or 3 people, sharing tea and snacks, and sending food for people.

In the morning, we would buy fresh groceries, especially fresh-water fish. Fish is a common staple in Bengali cuisine, you’ll find it at every table. As well as this, a few different curries – lentils, meat and rice. Today we will cook a few dishes – food is a connector and a way to make friends, I hope we can do this today! ”