I was completely pole-axed by this. It's a breathtaking achievement to depict such pain so exquisitely. And it's strikingly sui generis. Olia Hercules deftly fuses war reporting, food memoir, an investigation into identity and an act of resistance to create what I feel compelled to describe as a painting out of words. An instant classic

Nigella Lawson

It is the roots that keep the trees from falling during a storm. Olia Hercules tells us that the same is true for people and nations. It is the roots of culture and dignity that make them unbreakable at the time of war and peace, in Ukraine and beyond

Serhii Plokhy, author of CHERNOBYL ROULETTE: A WAR STORY and THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

Olia Hercules is a beautiful writer. So attuned to the sensual details of the world. Very raw, very honest, in a way I appreciated a lot. And all the ingredients – personal stories, historical context, trauma and hope are so finely balanced. It deserves to be read and admired far and wide

Charlie Gilmour, author of FEATHERHOOD

Only Olia Hercules could write such a cinematic and brave-hearted book examining what it is to live as a Ukrainian family at a time of unimaginable horrors and yet on every page the reader finds grace, strength, and occasionally the sting of dark Ukrainian humour. Strong Roots manages the near impossible: it is both a deeply personal book and a vital historical record

Caroline Eden

Bittersweet, life-affirming and devastating all at the same time. I read the entire book with a lump in my throat. Olia has written an exquisite and unforgettable book

Mel Giedroyc

Fiery, tender, deeply personal, how else to explain the importance of this unflinching account by an acclaimed food-writer - cook, mother, daughter, grandchild - of a people and place in a land under siege? Intimate, moving and brilliantly written, every page is a treasure-trove of memories - her own, her family's, and through listening to the experience of others. Here, in all its beauty and sorrow, is the story of Ukraine as it is, and was, and surely will be again. Unforgettable

Elisabeth Luard