Friends like family

As expats in Dubai, some of us are lucky to have family living close by, but for most of us, our friends become our family – especially over important holidays and occasions.

I believe that friends are food for the soul. But, finding the good ones is not necessarily an easy task – so many people walk in and out of our lives and there are only a handful of people who are keepers for life.

Over the past 17 years, I have been blessed to have built wonderful friendships with incredible soul sisters – all of whom have truly touched my life.

They are real friends, who don’t sugarcoat their comments to appease me. And they are all straight-shooting, strong and inspiring women in their own ways.

Interestingly, we all connected through food. This may be a coincidence, or it might be just a natural consequence of working in the creative culinary space. And some of my fondest memories are of coffee sessions, a spontaneous breakfast in the most unpredictable of places or an unplanned picnic.

These friendships have and continue to play a formative part of my journey – where I discover more about myself while connecting to a supportive ecosystem.

My recipe for the Christmas edition is an ode to such friendships. A former and dear neighbour Lynda is the one who shared this wonderful festive pavlova. She in turn got it from her best friend Alison.

Lynda was not only my neighbour for nearly seven years, but she was and always will be the older sister I never had. She is supportive, thoughtful, honest and authentic.

I do hope that you try this gorgeous recipe and that it brings you the same sense of love and joy I get when I prepare it. May your heart always be open to receiving love and honest friendships in the most unexpected ways.