Generosity and hospitality are core values of Zakia and John who have settled in Reading from Syria. They take every opportunity to cook for people.

Shopping with Zakia for her ingredients is like visiting another country: Arabic is the language, though Reading is the location. I need to rely on Zakia to understand what is going on as we visit the small stores across Reading where Arabic food is readily available. It took her 18 months to discover where she could buy food that was familiar to her.

Zakia was delighted to cook Syrian food for the "How to..." events. She and her husband John quickly created an atmosphere of welcome in Reading University's Fine Art department. Members of the public and staff and students came together to share the table laden with delicious food.

Conversations sprang up around the table. It was like birds gathering on telephone wires where all is quiet until something sparks them into a cacophony of sound. That's how it seemed during this event, "How to enjoy Syrian food."