Cricket fan and Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks is teaming up with Lord's Cricket Ground to host a new food and drink festival.
The Home of Food runs at the St John's Wood landmark on September 9 and 10 and allows ticketholders to tuck into top class gastronomy from the likes of Richard Corrigan, chef and author Selin Kiazim, Gareth Ward of two Michelin-starred Ynyshir in Wales, Northcote’s Lisa Goodwin Allen, and Opheem’s Aktar Islam.
Food trucks, stalls and artisan traders across the weekend include local legends Panzers who have been serving deli items to the St John's Wood community since 1944, and chefs Nokx Majozi and Liam Fauchard-Newman of Holborn's Rosewood Dining Room, who bring their celebrated pies.
Corrigan will set up an outpost of his Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill in the Harris Garden serving oysters and Guinness to walk ups, or an a la carte menu made up of Bentley's favourites.
Top chefs will be demonstrating their favourite dishes, there are food tastings, drinks masterclasses, and bookable banquets including a Sunday Lunch from Banks' soon-to-open Yorkshire pub The Abbey Inn within the Grade II-listed Pavilion.
Banks, who runs The Black Swan at Oldstead, Roots in York and The Edrich at Lord’s Cricket Ground on international match days, said he dreamed of being a professional sportsman before swapping cricket whites for chef's whites: "I have been mad about cricket from a young age and always dreamed of becoming a professional cricketer," he said.
"Alas, life has carried me to the kitchen and food, but I couldn’t be happier to be working at such an iconic cricket ground on their first food event. In recent years we’ve run some fantastic events together but The Home of Food gives me the chance to bring some of my favourite peers from the hospitality industry to Lord’s, to showcase their amazing food and drink. In the same way that cricket crosses borders, food is a theme celebrated across the world, and we’ve got some fantastic chefs coming for the weekend to showcase their culinary talent."
Marylebone Cricket Club which owns Lord's hope that opening for a non-sporting event will encourage more people to explore the iconic venue. Family friendly activities over the weekend include cricket taster sessions, cooking lessons for youngsters, and behind the scenes tours of the ground.
Andy Muggleton, Commercial Director at MCC commented: "We wanted to open up the Ground and welcome more people to enjoy the magic it has to offer. At MCC, history and heritage are prevalent but we’re also looking to the future and this new venture is a very exciting part of that. Lord’s is famous for its world-class food enjoyed by cricketers and visitors alike and this new two-day event will bring that experience to the masses."
Tickets to The Home of Food are £45 for adults, £15 for children (under 16) Under 5s go free.
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