Ren Behan
Ren Behan is a British food writer of Polish descent. Ren’s father fought with the Polish Army in Exile during the Second World War before settling in the UK. Ren grew up within the Polish diasporic community in Manchester and studied at the UCL School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies.
In 2010, Ren took a break from her career as a lawyer to start a family and gained a Diploma in Food Journalism. She started a food blog and her enthusiastic approach to Polish cooking quickly drew attention. Her recipes have featured in delicious magazine and BBC Good Food magazine, she wrote a column for JamieOliver.com and built up a global following online.
Ren’s debut book, WILD HONEY AND RYE: MODERN POLISH RECIPES (Pavilion Books in the UK, 2017 and Interlink Books in the USA, 2018) reflect her contemporary interpretation of Polish cuisine. The book shone a spotlight on Polish food, introducing it to a new audience whilst honouring her Polish roots. Wild Honey and Rye was a finalist in the Eastern European category of the Gourmand World Book Awards and Ren received a starred review from the Library Journal in America for her “refreshingly contemporary Polish cookbook, packed with appealing recipes that embrace modern and global influences.”
Ren is a great advocate of Polish food, working hard in her quest to highlight its versatility. Following her first book, Ren has embarked on an exploration of Polish baking. Having always had a sweet tooth, and with plenty of willing taste-testers at home, Ren is working on producing a comprehensive work on Polish baking.
Ren’s baking book THE SWEET POLISH KITCHEN was published by HarperCollins in Spring 2024 to rave reviews. Recipes from the book featured in The Guardian, OFM magazine, the Telegraph, Stylist magazine, Olive magazine, Red magazine, delicious magazine, with Nigella describing how ‘the delight The Sweet Polish Kitchen is giving me is one no realistic person could really expect’ in her Cookbook Corner review.
She lives at her home in St Albans with her husband, Ed, and three children.
Website: www.renbehan.com
Instagram: @renbehan
Twitter: @renbehan