The Flygerians Cookbook: straight-up fun food

Jess and Jo Edun are on a winning streak. In 2022 their Peckham eatery the Flygerians was named by Vogue as one of the best Black-owned restaurants in London. In 2023 they took home the African food trophy at the Be Inclusive Hospitality Spotlight awards, and now they’ve released a cookbook under the same name as their brand.

And it’s not surprising. The vitality they bring to any proceedings is second to none – encapsulated in the hand spin-and-flick the sisters have choreographed to represent the Flygerians logo, most recently seen on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch.

The cookbook serves up over 70 recipes inspired by Nigerian cuisine. There’s no pretentiousness, no faff, just straight-up fun food.

Of course you can’t sink your teeth into Nigerian food without talking about jollof rice. The Flygerians recipe uses smoked paprika and recommends burning the rice for three minutes to achieve that smoky flavour typical of the Nigerian variety. Then they let loose – there’s also jollof arancini, designed to use up leftover rice at Christmas, while jollof spaghetti shows how their mum used to make spag bol with the same spices.

It’s unapologetic – where many authors try to stay true to tradition and tip-toe the line between inspiration and reinvention, Jess and Jo have given something wholly authentic to their experience of growing up as the first generation of a Nigerian family to be born in Britain.

There’s a variety of soups and stews that would be familiar to Nigerian tables, using ingredients such as offal and egusi (ground melon seeds). Then there’s a steak bake, lovingly named ‘Adegreg’, and ‘don’t be basic’ Indomie noodles that the sisters created at university while looking to upgrade cheap eats. A plate of ‘Flygerian-style’ roast lamb is shown served up as part of a full Sunday dinner, including fried rice, green beans and a Yorkshire pudding.

The book culminates in a hearty portion of desserts and Nigerian-inspired drinks. A recipe for puff puffs gives the option to sprinkle with simple sugar or to add chocolatey Milo powder, while Naija French toast uses thickly-cut agege bread as its base. They note that in Nigeria they don’t usually eat dessert, saying “if you feed me right the first and second time, then there’s no need for a third”. But as they note, the book is littered with recipes inspired by their dual nationalities, so a little sweetness to end the meal can’t hurt.

The Flygerians Cookbook by Jess and Jo Edun, published by Ryland Peters & Small (£22)

Cook mighty Supermalt wings from the book here

Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small