I am regularly meeting women who inspire me with their strength and grace. Seeing women use what is in their hands to spread joy and to do what they love always inspires me, and I want to share their stories with you

So today I bring you: Mounira Debbabi

Originally from Tunisia, Mounira is effortlessly elegant, has a fab sense of humour and is an excellent cook. She lives in Cardiff, is Mum to three boys, and does life around being available for them as a single parent.

I met Mounira when she contributed to my award-winning cookbook, The Melting Pot, where she blessed us with her recipe for the tasty Aubergine Salad (you've got to try it!) She is also part of Women Connect First (WCF), a Welsh charity that empowers Black and Minority Ethnic women, and also of Wales World Café (WWC) in Cardiff.

We met for the second time when she was part of a food competition that I was judging, involving contributions from the local police and a community group, and here you can see her amazing offering that she later informed us was a Savoury Tagine.

This was over a year after we worked on The Melting Pot, when she was in the kitchen all dressed in PPE, and I didn’t even recognise her when she came up to receive her well-deserved award!

Mounira won the competition, not just because she presented the dish so beautifully, but because the taste was simply amazing and, in my opinion, should feature as a plant-based ready meal on shop shelves.

She currently spends her time contributing her skills to the WWC and would really like to have a food brand showcasing her excellent recipes. Who knows, one day you might see her products in a shop near you - I certainly hope so. 

Here's to Mounira and all the strong women we know, using what they have to do what they love.

Please follow Mounira on Facebook and Instagram and connect with her for more information.