First Home of Food Festival held at Lord’s Cricket Ground

The Home of Food festival was the result of a collaboration between star chef Tommy Banks and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), and took place on September 9 and 10.

Growing up in an Indian family where cricket and food brought people together, the event was a great blend of two passions for me and many who turned up to see the mecca of cricket transform into a grand festival venue.

Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks headlined the event and hosted a first ever Sunday banquet with his renowned three-course Roast Beef on the offer (Image: MCC/Jed Leicester)Food trucks, pop ups and ice cream vans covered the ground offering a wide range of delicacies from Europe to Asia, alongside exquisite wines and desserts.

Kickstarting my experience with a Victorian lemonade, I was instantly delighted to see an Indian instrumental band belt out some foot-tapping Bollywood numbers.

A dancer performed to Bollywood tunes at the event (Image: Riddhi Kachhela) The music and dancing added boisterousness to the event’s opulent vibes and attendees were seen shaking a leg or two.

Read More: Chef Tommy Banks hosts Home of Food at Lord's Cricket ground

With my spirits raised high, I dug into some food with a delicious fried cauliflower dish served by chef Luke French’s street food unit - Konjö.

With a crispy coating, its rich flavour was in equal measure spicy, saucy and sweet, and took me back to the streets of Seoul where a version of this- crispy fried chicken- is all the rage.

The Korean fried fried cauliflower dish served at Konjö (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)I tried a Gruyere cheese flatbread with truffle oil, baby spinach and chestnut mushrooms next that was unique, palatable and left me pleasantly satiated. I made one final stop at the Florian Poirot stall that was laden with my favourite sweet goodies- macarons- in colourful and enticing varieties.   

Being a foodie, I have eaten macarons at several eateries before, but these ones were heavenly that did full justice to its label. It was just the right choice to enhance my exquisite gastronomic experience on the day.

Freshly made Neapolitan and other Pizza varieties were on the menu (Image: MCC/Jed Leicester)No trip to the Lord’s Cricket Ground is complete without having seen the very place where history is often made, so I ventured up to one its visitor centres to get a food view of the stadium.

As I stood there, I had flashbacks of the moments from the iconic 1983 Cricket World Cup finals that India had won bringing incredible joy to millions of people back home. It was right here that legends like Kapil Dev and Vivian Richards had batted and were immortalised.

London's iconic Lord's cricket stadium (Image: Riddhi Kachhela)

The Home of Food Festival was overall a wholesome family event with interactive cooking club and cricket taster sessions for kids, a wine tasting experience and cocktail masterclasses for adults in addition.

Among the other culinary talents gracing the venue, apart from the legend Tommy Banks himself, were Irish Chef Richard Corrigan of Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, Chef and Author Selin Kiazim of Oklava fame, Gareth Ward of the two Michelin-starred Ynyshir in Wales, and Lisa Goodwin Allen of Northcote.

A team of teachers lead fun and engaging cookery sessions for children at the event (Image: MCC/Jed Leicester)The steep entry price- £25 per person- and lack of adequate food options for non-meat eaters made the event seem less inclusive, but I enjoyed soaking up some sun at the grounds with a delicious meal and some cricket memorabilia to take back.