Borsch. Sekretnyi ingredient

Produced in 2020, before the full-scale invasion by Russia, this upbeat Ukrainian documentary follows culinary personality Yevgen Klopotenko through many regions exploring how each prepares Ukraine's iconic dish - and their are vast differences.

The film is populated by colourful and varied chefs and borsch makers - some professional and most regular folks with traditional recipes they serve up with local wisdom.

Klopotenko's quest also showcases the very varied regional settings and peoples of Ukraine - from a small mountain village to old-world cities such as Lviv and Odessa to a cafeteria near the Chernobyl power station.

The result is a tempting array of gastric delights and evidence of Ukrainian's varied culture and character. A skilled presenter, Klopotenko is a wonderful guide. The film does touch on conflicts with the Russian invasion - as a segment on Crimean borsch was filmed in Kyiv due to the Russian occupation of that region - and the broader war (2022 invasion) inevitably casts a shadow over these regular people who just want to be left alone to cook and be with their families.