Brought up in Kenya where her parents were doctors, Basan was sent to boarding school in Scotland from where she got an entrance to Edinburgh University to study languages . Once at university, Basan switched her course from languages to Social Anthropology.

Basan met her husband in Turkey and they moved to live in the US for a couple of years before returning to Scotland. Their first book, Classic Turkish Cookery, was nominated for two awards and gained them a weekly slot on the Sunday Herald and a contract for their second book, The Middle Eastern Kitchen . The couple is no longer together.

Basan has now written over 20 books and her articles have appeared in the Sunday Herald, Scotland on Sunday, BBC Good Food Magazine, TasteTurkey, and Today’s Diet and Nutrition. From her home, she runs hands-on cookery workshops and travels widely to research and write her books.