Yemi Adelekan is a Harrogate-based food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Yemi writes for the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips.

On Tuesday night, I was driving through Yorkshire to Manchester in heavy rain and fog. It was the sort of rain that needs the wipers on the fastest setting – weather that has you longing for a couch, a blanket on your feet, something reassuringly sticky to eat, and a good measure of a warming drink.

If I had to choose a pudding to match the weather, I would have gone for sticky toffee pudding with warm sauce laced with some brandy or rum for extra punch.

But 24 hours later, I was sitting in glorious Cretan sunshine, wondering if it was possible to feel too hot to eat dessert, until a plate was plonked in front of me.

Pastry, nuts and syrup

On it was baklava and a few other samples of desserts. We debated whether one was a flan or a crème caramel, and another one appeared to be a cheesecake, but it was the crispy pastry soaked in syrup with nuts that had me at 'hello'.

Golden, crisp layers of pastry, nuts and syrup glistened. Alongside it was another Greek dessert that looked similar at first glance, but on closer inspection had a tangle of fine, shredded pastry – kataifi, made with the delicate strands of pastry that give it a wonderfully crisp texture.

It struck me how different the same idea of a sticky, sweet dessert can feel depending on where you are eating it.

A few days ago, with rain lashing against the car windows, I would have welcomed a bowl of warm sticky toffee pudding. I know the baklava in front of me would not have offered quite the same comfort if I had reached for it to combat the changing Yorkshire weather. It is not warm and soft in the way a British winter pudding can be.

Baklava is crispy, nutty, fragrant and unapologetically sweet. But sitting there in the heat, with the sun beating down and the Mediterranean stretching beyond me, it seemed just right.

Ingredients that speak across borders

This is one of the things I love about food. It does not exist in isolation. We bring the weather, the location and landscape, the season, friendships, families and our memories to the table with us every time we cook, eat or entertain.

The food I want when I am cold and wet in Yorkshire is not necessarily the food I want when the sun is blazing in Crete. The salads appeared more appetising against the backdrop of the hot sun and the calming effect of the blue sea.

There was something familiar about that baklava. Honey, nuts, crunchy pastry and spice are ingredients that speak across borders. They are the sort of ingredients I find myself drawn to wherever I am in the world. The difference is in the assembly and when we choose to eat them.

Recently I found myself wanting a combination of sticky toffee pudding with crunchy nutty layers inspired by a nutty Turkish cake drenched in syrup; I can’t wait to create the dessert.

Just thinking about the softness of the pudding against the crunchy layer of nuts has me drooling.

Weather plays a dual role

I have only just arrived in Crete, so I am not going to pretend that one lunch has given me an understanding of Greek or Cretan food. There is still much to discover. But that first taste has already made me think about how closely food is connected to places.

Back home, I might reach for the oven when the weather turns cold – think pies, hot desserts, and slow cooked stews. Here, in this heat, the thought of turning an oven on is not appealing and a part of me wonders whether the secret of the healthy Mediterranean diet is rooted in the weather.

Yes, I know the weather helps them grow the produce and the sea provides a lot of seafood, but the weather plays a dual role by making certain food more appealing, hence salads, cold food and yes, the indulgence of baklava balances all that healthy lifestyle.

Greek desserts... Yorkshire-style

So, inspired by that first taste of Cretan desserts, here is how we can translate it to the weather in God’s Own County.

Try layering thick Greek yoghurt with a drizzle of honey, toasted pistachios or walnuts, a little orange or lemon zest and some crisped shards of filo or kataifi pastry. If using kataifi pastry, add some melted butter to the pastry and bake until golden brown. Personally, I would add some cinnamon to melted honey and drizzle this over the pastry when serving.

Add fresh peaches, figs or berries if you have them and some finely shredded fresh mint leaves would finish it beautifully.

If using filo pastry, brush melted butter on each layer and stack them before baking, roughly chop them to provide crunch in a layered dessert. For more indulgence, I would add some mascarpone to the yoghurt for more body and better mouthfeel.

It is not baklava, nor is it meant to be. It is my own little interpretation of my first Cretan dessert; it’s one that can work for breakfast, brunch or as a dessert depending on how generous we are with the various elements and how creative we are with the plating.

Tuesday called for sticky toffee pudding. Today called for baklava. Tomorrow, Crete will tell me what to eat next. From Crete with love.