voices in food.

The shining outlook of Diwali is all about coming together, says food writer and restaurateur Ravinder Bhogal – so what better way to celebrate than to combine some of the world’s great food traditions in a harmonious treat

“It’s important to celebrate festivals in times of uncertainty because it gives hope”

PHOTOGRAPHS: NASSIMA ROTHACKER. FOOD STYLING: PHIL MUNDY. STYLING: LAUREN MILLER

I grew up in Kenya. Our family was neither small nor quiet. There were six in my nuclear clan, but the tradition of living with extended relations meant there was both the cosiness and chaos of anywhere between 15 and 25 people in our house at any one time.

Solitude was impossible, even in the family prayer room where the discordant crank of my grandmother’s harmonium never ceased. She was social and ritualistic in equal measure so our home played host to a multitude of religious gatherings, my favourite of which was Diwali.

For a child, the festivities were particularly alluring because while they had religious significance for both Hindus and Sikhs, they also allowed for unabashed consumerism. We dressed in shiny new clothes, gave and received gifts and lit up the house with colourful diyas (oil lamps) made from cotton wool swabs dampened with ghee. We set off fireworks that went on late into the night, making the poor neighbourhood dogs howl with anxiety. Mostly, though, we ate. The dining table creaked with the weight of all manner of good things – especially mithai (Indian sweets).