Her cookbook, Sweet Salone, was written after travelling through her homeland to reconnect with regional food traditions. After publication, the question became what form her work, connecting hospitality and storytelling, should take next.
“When the Sevenoaks site appeared, we jumped at it,” she laughs.
Maria’s work is oriented by a personal creative compass, that of travel and cultural exchange. “Everywhere I go, food is the focus,” she says. “You really get to know somebody when they’re most vulnerable and comfortable, which is usually around food.” That sensibility runs through the menu at Shwen Shwen. There is confident movement between fish, meat and vegetables, with West African grains such as fonio. Flavours range from peppery to herbaceous to brighter, warmer notes, without collapsing into a single idea of West African taste.
Desserts, not traditionally central to West African food cultures, are structured through European pastry techniques, while anchored in West African ingredients and snacking traditions, such as sesame mille-feuille with grains of Selim ice cream. This detail, clarity of voice and purpose, and the emotional coherence of the space and food have brought further recognition. The day before we sat down with Maria in February, Shwen Shwen was named Opening of the Year (UK and Ireland) by the Michelin Guide.
At the heart of Shwen Shwen is a clear desire to shift how African cuisines are understood.
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“A lot of the time, people talk about African food as if Africa is one country,” she says. She is direct about some common characterisations. “Our food has been perceived as unduly stodgy, excessively spicy, simply not something you would go out to enjoy as an experience.” She notes how it’s ironically seen as heavily meat-dominated, despite the importance of seafood, greens, tubers and legumes.
Her own cooking, reflecting her intimate understanding of Sierra Leonean cuisine, tells a different story. “In Sierra Leone, we’re very coastal,” she explains. “So our dishes are often plant-based, also using fish. Spices and chillies season our dishes, but they are not always the star ingredient.’
