Firass is an oncology nurse working for a private healthcare provider in West London. He is friendly, caring, and selfless. He keeps himself very busy with work, socialising, traveling and going to the gym. In his free time, as well as indulging in his self care routines he is a key member of the alumni community. When it comes to feedback and advice about improving the programme and learning about the integration process from a candidate perspective, Firass is a wealth of knowledge.

Instead of cooking his own dish, Firass suggested a Lebanese restaurant in Kilburn which he regularly frequents. When asked why he chose this particular restaurant he shared that the place feels authentic and the food tastes authentic, even down to the decoration and music.

“So when you are here you are transported back and no longer feel nostalgic.”

He was born in Lebanon to a Palestinian family and lived there for most of his life before moving to the UK in 2021. He chose to share Manakish, a traditional Lebanese breakfast food which is enjoyed daily.

“We grew up as children eating one everyday and would drink pineapple juice with it.”

Manakish consists of dough topped with thyme, cheese, or ground meat. Similar to a pizza, it can be sliced or folded, and it can be served either for breakfast or lunch.

Traditionally, women would bake dough in a communal oven in the morning, to provide their family with their daily bread needs, and would prepare smaller portions of dough with different toppings for breakfast at this time.

“When we were young, thyme was the cheapest and most widely available and most widely consumed because families could afford to feed it to their children, but cheese was more of a luxury and less requested.”

Everyday, Firass‘ family would get two, one with cheese and the other thyme and share it. This is a food that not only reminds him of home but also evokes fond memories of times with his family.

“I grew up eating this all my life, so having this here in London is such a privilege, it brings a sense of home here.”