In Moldova, where I come from, you will hardly find a cookery book. It is customary to share recipes with your friends and family, and mothers will usually transfer their knowledge and skills to children. So, when I make Borsch, I never really follow a specific recipe, never weigh any ingredient, measure it by eye, that is why it is a bit tricky to put it in writing.

But I am very happy to share it with everybody, once you try it out once, you will get a feeling whether you want it more salty, or thicker or even - add cooked pork and its bullion instead of water and cabbage which is what a real Ukrainian Borsch is about.

For a family of 4, I will use 1 medium chopped onion and fry it in vegetable oil in a large pan, then add (a tin of ) chopped tomatoes and fry it for another 3-4 minutes. In the meanwhile I have the vegetables ready - main ingredient is of course beetroot (2- 3 medium), carrots (3 - 4 medium), cabbage if available (half a head) and add everything into the pan and fry for another 5-6 minutes until softened. Then you add the water to cover the vegetables (it can be boiled water to shorten cooking time). Because I had the leaves of the beetroot, I chopped the younger ones and used them as well. Vegetables will cook at medium heat and halfway to readiness (you would really need to use your imagination here for "half-way") add some more water and (a tin of) Red Kidney beans (or any beans, no need to drain them) and 4-5 chopped potatoes, a handful of flat leaf parsley (would not recommend curly parsley as it never seems to cook) and also - very Moldovan herb - fresh or dry dill leaves. Add more water to make it thinner if you like. Add salt and pepper at the very end, depending on you taste, or you can add 1 sp. bullion powder.

Small tip - Borsch actually tastes better if left over night, so you may want to cook it in the evening for a family lunch meal. Good luck!