My mother's family originates from Lebanon and I spent some time living there, in Beirut, when I was 19. Recently hit with a massive craving for the delicious falafel wraps I used to eat almost daily, I decided to do it from scratch.

First step was to improve my pita game; previous attempts have been fine for dipping in hummus, but not ideal for a proper sandwich. I landed on this recipe and the output was exactly what I was going for, soft and fluffy.

Then the key to the falafel was using dried chickpeas, rather than canned. Blending a bunch with garlic, spices and a load of herbs was straight forward. All that remained was to shape the patties and deep fry them. Best falafel I have had in years 😋 served with hummus, shreded cabbage and carrot.

• IngredientsChickpeas, Parsley, Cilantro, Garlic, Spices, Toasted Sesame Seeds