'Kievs for Kyiv' drive to raise money for Ukraine

A chef is urging the food industry to support humanitarian aid by selling Ukrainian food to raise money.

Laura Leaver, from Somerset, has dubbed her initiative "Kievs for Kyiv" and wants as many restaurants and cafes as possible to get involved.

She said she is "thrilled" with the response so far, with restaurants across the globe taking part.

All money raised will go to charities supporting Ukraine during the Russian invasion.

Ms Leaver said she hopes the initiative will encourage a celebration of Ukrainian food while supporting Ukrainian refugees and citizens.

"We've been overwhelmed with support and we've had restaurants and cafes as far away as LA and Singapore who are currently putting items on their menu," she said.

"I think it's amazing how fast people get behind a lovely idea... sometimes we all want to help but if you're given a simple recipe of how to do that, it's an easy path to get involved."

Ms Leaver, who has a business called Heirlooms and Wooden Spoons, said people can get involved in any way they want.

Her plan is for every restaurant to put a Ukrainian dish on their menu and try and get people to donate proceeds from that item.

At the butchers in Castle Cary, Somerset, Andrew Moore is selling the popular 70s dish and has renamed it in honour of one of the cities under siege.

He said the team are making "our interpretation of a chicken Kyiv with chicken, a mince chicken filling, salsa verde, garlic and butter."

They sold out on the day they launched and after a second successful day, they will have more in on Friday.

Retailer Sainsbury's recently announced they would be renaming all kievs they sold as kyivs and fresh packaging would be coming to supermarket shelves soon.

A similar project, led by the Bristol Food Union, calls on local restaurants to put Ukrainian dumplings on their menus to support the national #CookForUkraine fundraising effort.

The dish is made using the recipe of established Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules.

Mark McCabe, head chef at the Ethicurean restaurant in Wrington, North Somerset, is making the dumplings and encouraging people to try the recipe at home.

He said Ukraine's "great food heritage" is part of the global food economy and staff at the Ethicurean felt it was "a good chance to do something".

"I think like a lot of people we've watched on over the last week feeling very helpless and pretty heartbroken over what's happening in Ukraine and wanted to show our support for the country and the people of Ukraine," he added.

The restaurant is joining many others in starting a raffle, backed by Bristol Food Union, with prizes worth thousands of pounds to raise money for Ukraine.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]