When Daniel and Luke Mancuso lost their beloved mother Teresa to domestic violence, the Greek grandmother next door stepped in and started looking after them, passing home-cooked meals over the fence. This simple act of kindness helped Daniel and Luke navigate the fog of grief that followed, and captured the hearts of Australia when they started to share the meals and their special relationship with ‘Yiayia’ on social media.

Now we can all enjoy Yiayia’s home cooking, with this collection of traditional recipes from her kitchen and those of yiayias all around Australia. Yiayia’s food is pure comfort: pastries such as spanakopita and tiropita; warming soups made with chickpeas, lentils and beans; hearty pasta and rice dishes such as moussaka and yemista; the unmistakable flavours of barbecued lamb and keftedes; and delicious desserts such as baklava and custard-filled galaktoboureko.

This is a book about the power of food to bring people together. It’s about love forged in tragedy, the importance of connection and how simple gestures, such as giving someone a home-cooked meal, can transform lives and restore hope.

A percentage of the sales of this book will be donated to the Australian Childhood Foundation.