Patti Sloley is a chef on a mission to introduce the world to the glorious and exciting African food that she was taught to cook by her mum growing up in Ghana. Described by Executive Traveller magazine as Ghana’s best kept secret, Patti is inspiring and exuberant with an infectious zest for life.
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In a short series for ITV’s Lorraine Show titled Patti’s Taste of Christmas, she delighted viewers
with some of her favourite festive dishes. She has also featured on John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen.
With features in several magazines, Patti also is a regular on BBC Three Counties Radio, where she shares food tips and recipes with regular listeners with her passion for food.
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As a resident chef at the Jean-Christophe Novelli Academy, she runs a course called A Taste of Africa. Patti passionately demonstrates her Ghanaian dishes at food festivals, on social media and in schools. She has written two cookbooks - A Plate in the Sun and A Date with Plantain. Her spice workshops take you on a journey of her favourite spices from around the world.
Talk: Ghanaian foods for gut health
In following a healthy lifestyle, gut health is at the centre. West Africa is a real treasure trove when it comes to vegetables and fruits, and is also big on fermented foods. No ultra-processed foods! Growing up in Ghana, I was exposed to many vibrant, colourful, tasty and healthy dishes. For breakfast we sometimes had koko, a fermented cornmeal porridge served with delicious bean fritters called akara. For lunch and dinner we often had spicy soups, egusi, seafoods and rice dishes. Desserts were tropical fruits like mangoes, watermelon and pineapples.
A healthy lifestyle begins with the gut, and I believe that looking to other cultures for inspiration can only be a good thing.
For my talk, I would like to share a bit of West Africa and our everyday foods we enjoy, and how they contribute to a balanced gut microbiome.
