Close Connections: Dina Macki - my 82-year-old grandma is a social media star

During the pandemic, however, Dina came home to Portsmouth from her job in London to be with her family during lockdown. It was during this time that Dina, who loves to cook, started including Bibi in her Instagram live cooking sessions.

“I sat next to Bibi in her little kitchen and documented daily what she was cooking for my 19,000 followers on Instagram (@dinewithdina). Bibi pretended she wasn’t bothered but she loved how my followers were so keen on her cooking.

“It kept her moving and mobile at a time when all we could do was be at home. It became a treasured part of my day and even though we’d always been close, cooking together brought us even closer. Now, I can’t be away from Bibi and I know she feels the same.”

Dina has changed how she works so she can be in Portsmouth at least three days a week. “Being by Bibi’s side and learning all her cooking secrets and how she did things the traditional way was very special to me.”

Last year, Christmas was a very quiet affair for Dina, Bibi and their relatives with only a few gathered together for a much more scaled-down day. Pre-pandemic, Christmas was a huge team effort.

“Bibi always brings a Zanzibarian dish – coconut sesame flatbread, known in Swahili as mkate wah utufa, or mandazi, or coconut and cardamom beignets (similar to doughnuts).”

Cooking for 40 was no mean feat, with dishes allocated to different family members. “Mum and I cooked all of the meats and joked that it was the best, as nobody else could cook, even though they’re all exceptional in the kitchen. One cousin sorted the drinks, another made desserts. Even when we delegated two people to puddings, others would bring more anyway!”

Dina and her mum usually slow-cook shoulders and legs of lamb over the festive period. “We had a garlic and rosemary Christmas-spiced one, and another with an Omani twist known as shuwa, with cloves, dried lime, honey, brown sugar, cardamom, black pepper, dried chilli, cinnamon and ginger, mixed to a thick paste, wrapped in banana leaf and oven-cooked in tightly wrapped foil for five hours.”

The lamb is usually marinated for 48 hours beforehand, with some meats cooked on low heat overnight and served with saffron rice topped with fried onions, cashews and raisins.

“When we wake up on Christmas morning, the smell in the house is amazing. I usually also make roast potatoes and carrots, with parsnips in honey and mustard, and brussels sprouts fried in garlic butter then mixed with preserved lemons, chilli, and pomegranate molasses.”

Dina’s family food is influenced by coconuts from East Africa, meat dishes from the Middle East, spices from India, and fruits like figs and pomegranate from Iran. ‘Even though our food is reflective of our rich heritage, our Christmas isn’t all that different to most people’s. We have a tree, eat all day and have lots of presents for the kids. Bibi makes everyone a stuffed animal – young and old! After, we watch TV and play Monopoly.”

It’s hard to know how exactly restrictions will impact Christmas celebrations this year, but Dina hopes it’ll be a big one. “We didn’t get to have a big Eid this year or last, and we’ve missed the usual big birthdays for Bibi. Hopefully, we can all cram in together this Christmas and make up for lost time.”

See Dina’s Mandazi recipe (coconut and cardamom beignets).

This feature originally appeared in Good Food Magazine, November 2021.