Halal food festival: Meet, greet, eat
MasterChef winners and culinary influencers are among some of the stars who will be at the London Halal Food Festival.
The annual event, now in its fourth year, is expected to attract more than 20,000 people on 3 and 4 August, promising a wider range of irresistible cuisines and dishes from around the world.
Waleed Jahangir, one of the organisers, says the festival is growing every year.
“Our aim is to bring this untapped halal food economy to the forefront of the mainstream’s attention and showcase what this industry has to offer Muslim communities and wider society.”
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Who’s there?
The event line-up includes:
-
Shelina Permalloo won MasterChef UK in 2012 and has since gone on to open Lakaz Maman, her restaurant in Southhampton. She is inspired by flavours from Mauritius.
-
Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed won MasterChef UK in 2017. In 2018 she published Khazana, a cookbook inspired by Mughal era cuisine
-
Blogger and YouTuber Anisa (Cook With Anisa) is known for dishes inspired by home cooking.
-
Aida Khan is the founder and head chef of SHOLA Kitchen, fusing Karachi cuisine with home cooking.
-
Afia (Afelia’s Kitchen) is a food blogger who creates Asian-inspired recipes for her thousands of followers online.
What else is on?
The event is being targeted at those who want to explore different cuisines, get started in the industry or network with Muslim start-ups including chefs, kitchens and caterers.
The concept of halal has also moved beyond food to also encompass fashion, travel and health among other lifestyle issues.
A marketplace will allow attendees to shop not just for food but also homeware, gifts and cosmetics. Other draws include food-related contests and a play area for children.
Jahangir is also looking to the future.
“We plan to franchise the event on a worldwide level to bring halal cuisine to the international platform,” she says.
“We’re aiming to help the growth of the halal food industry by creating international platforms to network between in order to help push and promote small and medium enterprise markets.”
London Halal Food Festival is at Tobacco Docks on 3 and 4 August. Tickets can be purchased here.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
