AFTER winning a competition to write a cookery book celebrating African food, Lope Ariyo talks to Taste about how Nigeria and Britain are reflected in her food, and why we need to share it

This time last year, the 24-year-old home cook was sitting her final maths exams at Loughborough University, while entering a Red magazine competition to discover a cook destined to take an African cuisine mainstream.

She fed the judges her signature hibiscus chicken dish, and dazzled them with her contemporary approach to Nigerian cooking, and the result is her debut cookbook, Hibiscus (she's obsessed with hibiscus).

Lope calls it "an entry point" into West African cuisine, as it blends her British background, growing up in East Croydon, with her memories of the food she ate during the couple of years she spent at boarding school in Nigeria.

"The idea that my cooking style has to be either Nigerian or British just sounds really bizarre to me," she explains over a slice of lemon drizzle cake. "It's very hard for me to separate those two cultures, and that definitely shows in my cooking."

At home, the food blogger became the main cook at around 13. "The only reason is, I'm a very picky eater, so my mum was like, 'Do you know what? I'm tired of you, just do it yourself," she explains, breaking off into laughter. "The moment she said that, it was me, opened up to a whole new world."

When it comes to opening more eyes, and bellies, to Nigerian cooking, Lope particularly wants to convince people of the "many uses for the traditional ingredients that haven't really been explored yet."

It helps that core Nigerian ingredients are becoming increasingly available in supermarkets. "When I was growing up, I'd never see Nigerian ingredients in Tesco or Sainsbury's, now - it's still in the 'ethnic' section - but the fact it's there is great."

You can find garri (dried, fermented cassava), yam and cassava flour, chin chin (a cross between a shortbread and a biscotti), okra and even plantain on shelves now - although Lope notes, "I don't like the prices, they're much more expensive compared to market prices."

And don't go calling Nigerian ingredients 'superfoods' either.

"I hate the term superfood! These are often things that people from ethnic minorities have been eating for ages, like avocado - that was just a regular food growing up, why are you calling it a superfood?! It's also a marketing ploy, because the moment something gets labelled a superfood, the price goes up," she says. "[It's like] now you see the price value of it, that's only when our food becomes relevant."

The price of food can create barriers, and shapes what people can and can't eat - which is especially the case when a food trend or cuisine becomes seemingly exclusive. Take clean eating. "It doesn't just come with the food, it comes with a lifestyle," Lope explains, "and if your body can't adapt, or you don't have the money for that lifestyle, that's when it can become alienating."

Nigerian cooking, at the core, is the opposite of that, it's about caring and hospitality says Lope, and the idea of cooking for one is "very unheard of".

"We cook for plenty, so anyone who wants to come and eat, can come and eat," she says. "I don't think it's great to alienate people from food, because food is about sharing - in any culture."

The Nigerian home cook shares a recipe for a fragrant and nutty accompaniment.

In need of a special occasion side dish, or some tasty bowl food? Load up on some fried coconut rice.

This recipe, from Lope Ariyo's debut cookbook Hibiscus, will do the trick...

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

370g long-grain rice or basmati rice

400ml tin coconut milk

1 tbsp groundnut oil or coconut oil

1 chicken stock cube

1/2tsp dried thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

6 closed-cup mushrooms, wiped and chopped

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 yellow pepper, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4tsp turmeric

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp ground ginger

Salt and white pepper

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, bring the coconut milk to the boil along with the stock cube, thyme and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the coconut milk to simmer for five minutes until it smells slightly fragrant.

2. Meanwhile, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Drain the rice in a colander, then add it to the coconut milk - it should just about be covered by the liquid. Turn the heat up to medium-high, cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes - you'll have to stir the rice every so often to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom. Once most of the milk has been absorbed, you'll find that if you bite on a grain of rice, it should have softened but still be quite al dente and taste slightly nutty. Turn off the heat and set aside.

3. Take a large, deep frying pan and heat the groundnut oil or coconut oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, peppers and carrot, and coat them with the ground coriander, turmeric, garlic powder and ginger. Continuously stir the veggies for seven minutes until they start to soften.

4. Add the partly cooked rice and season with salt and pepper before reducing the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan with a lid and steam for a further five to 10 minutes, depending on how soft you like your rice.

5. Divide the rice evenly between four plates, or place in a large serving dish for the middle of table.

To crown a showstopper of an afternoon tea, or to present as a standout special occasion cake, this two-tier coconut concoction is sure to wow.

Ingredients:

(Serves 12)

180g plain flour

60g ground egusi seeds (ground melon seeds, available from Amazon) or ground almonds

80g fine-cut dried hibiscus petals, plus extra for decorating (available from Amazon)

1tsp ground cloves

1tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2tsp salt

90g coconut oil, softened

60ml groundnut oil, plus extra for greasing

100g caster sugar

80g light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 x 400ml tin coconut milk

2tsp vanilla extract

2tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Desiccated coconut, to decorate

For the coconut drizzle:

120g icing sugar

4tbsp coconut milk

1/2tsp coconut extract

1/2tsp vanilla extract

For the coconut frosting:

300g cream cheese

2tbsp coconut milk

80g icing sugar

1tbsp fine-cut dried hibiscus petals

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Grease two round 20cm cake tins, then line them with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, ground egusi seeds or ground almonds, hibiscus petals, ground cloves, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and salt.

3. In another large bowl, cream the coconut oil, groundnut oil and sugars together. One by one, add the eggs until well combined. Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl, followed by half of the coconut milk and mix with an electric hand whisk or stand mixer until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Repeat to add the remaining dry ingredients and coconut milk and mix to thoroughly combine. Finally, add the vanilla extract and lemon juice, folding in gently.

4. Transfer the batter into a large measuring jug and evenly distribute it between the two cake tins. If you prefer less washing up, roughly measure by eye. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes. When they're ready, a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

5. To make the drizzle, mix the icing sugar with the coconut milk to get a thick drizzle, then add the coconut and vanilla extracts. Trickle over both layers of the cooled hibiscus cake.

6. For the frosting, whisk all the ingredients together to create a fluffy purple cloud. Make sure the colour is consistent throughout. Spread half the frosting over one of the cakes and place the second on top. Spread what's left of the frosting over the top layer and sprinkle over the desiccated coconut and hibiscus petals to decorate.

Hibiscus by Lope Ariyo is published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £18.99. Available now.