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Ukrainian bread
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For Ukrainians, as for many other cultures, bread has considerable symbolic, ritual and cultural significance 鈥� not to mention its food value! So Ukrainians in London and Londoners in general are very fortunate that, for over 50 years, they have been able to buy 芦袣芯谢芯褋禄 (鈥楰olos鈥� 鈥� ear of wheat) authentic Ukrainian rye bread. The Kolos Bakery was founded in Yorkshire by Ivan Prytulak, after he came to the UK as a refugee. He brought with him from Ukraine an authentic recipe for bread, and the bakery he established in 1961 has prospered and is now run by his sons. 鈥楰olos鈥� bread can be bought in many East European food shops around London, and is a perfect accompaniment to traditional Ukrainian dishes such as 鈥榖orshch鈥� (beetroot soup), herring dishes and salads.
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Wine and beer
Many regions of Ukraine (particularly Transcarpathia and the south) have a tradition of wine-making, and since Independence Ukrainian wines (particularly dessert wines from Massandra and dry reds from the Odesa region) have been imported into the UK. At various times these have been available to buy in supermarkets, delicatessens and online.
Ukraine is also fast gaining a reputation for its beers, particularly those from Lviv and Kyiv, including the famous 鈥淥bolon鈥�, which is served in Ukrainian and East European restaurants and bars in London. And songs have even been written about Lviv beer:
芦袥褜胁褨胁褋褜泻械 锌懈胁芯 鈥� 褌芯 褦 泻谢褟褋邪,
袪芯斜懈褌褜 蟹 褏谢芯锌邪 褋褍锌械褉邪褋邪 ...禄
鈥淏eer from Lviv is really classy,
It turns a bloke into a superhero 鈥︹��
London can also boast a unique combination of Ukrainian scholarship and oenology in the person of Dr Marko Bojcun. For several years from the late 1990s Marko taught history and politics at SSEES, and subsequently led the Ukraine Centre at London Metropolitan University. Now he grows grapes and makes wine at his (as well as writing articles and commenting on Ukrainian affairs for the media!).
Restaurants and caf茅s
Over past decades several restaurants and caf茅s serving Ukrainian food have existed in London. These include 鈥楰ozachok鈥� in Richmond and, later, 鈥楧ivo鈥�, which in 2007 opened just off Pall Mall in central London, to mixed reviews in the British national press. Initially 鈥淟ondon鈥檚 first luxury Ukrainian restaurant鈥� claimed to serve authentic food in an authentic setting, but in time changed its style to a fusion of East European and international cuisine. The restaurant subsequently closed down. Two Ukrainian restaurants which have opened fairly recently are 鈥楢lbina鈥� in Canning Town and 鈥楶rosperity鈥� in Twickenham.
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The 鈥楰arpaty鈥� Ukrainian Social Club is situated in the basement of the London Branch of the Association of Ukrainians (in Holland Park). Here, at the weekends, members and their guests can sample traditional Ukrainian food and drink, including 鈥榲arenyky鈥� and 鈥榟olubtsi鈥�. Here, too, a traditional Christmas Eve dinner is prepared and served every year.
In the London Ukrainian culinary scene a special mention should be given to Mrs Melnyk鈥檚 caf茅. Justyna Melnyk came to the UK after the war, and in the 1990s took over a transport caf茅 in Acton High Street. Her main customers were drivers and conductors based at the bus station (the Old Tram Depot) opposite. But a well-kept secret was that Mrs Melnyk also prepared traditional Ukrainian food, and Ukrainians from all over London would come, bringing their visitors (including high-profile ones, such as Patriarch Mstyslav Skrypnyk of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church), to this unassuming Ukrainian culinary centre. Sadly, the caf茅 is no more, and the Old Tram Depot has been replaced by a new housing development 鈥�
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