A Kentish Town woman has won two Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for her book Hyderabad, A Memory of Taste.

Mala Gole, 56, received the distinction of Best in the World in the World Cities and UNESCO Heritage Cities categories for her book which contains recipes from her childhood in India.

She cooks from memory, drawing inspiration from a chef in Hyderabad named Sharifabee, to whom the book is dedicated.

Although they have since grown apart and Mala has moved to the UK, she thinks fondly of those meals and replicates them with the help of her mother.

“I called the book ‘A Memory of Taste’ because I really do cook from a memory of taste,” said Mala. “I would often check with my mother if I had gotten it right and she would be thoroughly surprised that I had and took it from there.”

The recipes are accompanied by illustrations by Elizabeth “Liz” Adams, Mala’s friend who died in October. Mala attributes the accelerated pace of the book's release to Liz saying: “I wanted her to enjoy the book and hold it in her hand.”

The book is available for purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon India.