I'm Stepping Out of My Shadow with a Festival, Cooking Classes and the Golden Age of Amsterdam

May 30, 2025

If you’d said to me, aged 54, that I’d be kicking off a festival of food & culture and launching a podcast, I’d have just waved you on by.

There’s no way I could do something like that. I’m one for the quiet life, living within the safety and security of my introversion. Let those who crave being at the centre of attention and yearn for the limelight do this kind of thing.

Yet, last year I did.

And I’m doing it again and more, starting with the Sri Lankan Culture Collective, the boutique festival I co-founded, which is now in its second year.

We’re Back, Bigger and Better: Sri Lankan Culture Collective 2025

Comedy and music

We’ve taken over the Battersea Arts Centre, the home of indie arts to deliver, on Saturday 26 July, starting at 6 pm with a night of stellar Sri Lankan stand-up comedy and music from the rising stars within our diaspora community. We’ll also be curating a selection of pop-up shops for festivalgoers and walk-ins to browse.

Tickets are now on sale, £28 with the early bird discount which runs until 9 June.

Wine pairing evening

We’re hosting a wine pairing workshop on Tuesday 5 August from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. Arêvery is the cutest little wine bar in Tooting run by my very dear friend and festival co-founder, Krish Puwanarajah. Krish will show you how to match exquisite wine with spicy food because there’s more to drink with spicy food than just beer!

Tickets are now on sale, £30. Only ten spots and they are selling fast!

Sri Lankan supper club

On Thursday 14 August, me, yes, me! I will be putting on a Sri Lankan supper club from 7.30 pm to 11 pm with my co-founder, Thana Sivasambu, the founder of the artisan food brand, Ruci Foods. We’re pulling our culinary might together to create a Sri Lankan spread for those who want a seat at our table. We’re creating our menu, which will be crafted from stories of our heritage. It’s what matters to us.

Tickets are now on sale, £55. Only 12 spots so get your ticket to secure your seat at the table!

Hopper-making class

And finally, we’re ending the festival on Sunday 7 September from 12 pm to 3 pm as Rosh, festival co-founder and founder of the award-winning spice company, Hop and Roll, will put on another of her legendary hopper classes.

This is a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of class. A class where you will get elbow-deep in fermented batter as you master the hopper pan swirl to create your perfect hopper. Once you’ve made your hoppers, you’ll be treated to a vegetarian lunch.

Tickets are now on sale, £40 with the early bird discount which runs until 9 June.

I’m launching in-person cooking classes.

I’ve been talking to so many people who tell me they love Sri Lankan food, want to try Sri Lankan food, and want to learn to cook Sri Lankan food. Yet, they don’t know where to start.

The class I’m putting together is about covering the basics. It will take place in my home, with purposefully small numbers, only six. I’ll teach you how to make a homestyle Sri Lankan spread, with simple, approachable recipes that require minimal prep time and can be made time and time again.

My aim is for my students to walk away feeling confident in cooking Sri Lankan food, armed with recipes that can fit into a busy weeknight, and an understanding of how to use spices to cook food that is jammed full of flavour.

And not only that, we’ll take a trip to one of my favourite Sri Lankan grocery stores and a thoroughly delicious Sri Lankan snack shop to sample some of Tooting’s finest short eats (snacks and street food).

If you’re interested in joining the class, which will start later this year, hop on to my waitlist to find out more.

Amsterdam trip

I’m back from Amsterdam. We snuck in a long weekend, without children, to explore the city. We eschewed the usual touristy canal areas and chose to stay in the northern part of the city.

It’s recently undergone serious regeneration, boasting boutique hotels, beachside bars, and one of the best vintage markets I’ve been to.

This will have to be part of a larger food and travel piece, In the meantime, here are some highlights from the trip:

Incredible street markets. We covered Albert Cuypmarkt, Noordermarkt, and IJ-Hallen vintage in one day.
Indonesian food. It’s now my latest food crush. I’m still savouring the flavour of slow-cooked beef with star anise.
The incredible Indonesian Rijsttafel, or rice table, has its roots in the colonial era and was adapted by the Dutch to present a wide selection (perhaps up to forty) dishes to be eaten in a single sitting.
Haarlem: A short train journey from Amsterdam lands you in the Dutch Golden Age. Wander through beautifully manicured streets and feel the Renaissance pour out of every brick!
I fell for the vintage, shabby-chic charm of the old-school brown café, Café Brecht.
Discovering suikerbrood (sugar bread) and poffertjes (mini pancakes). I found recipes for these in my parents’ 1960s Sri Lankan cookbook, and these have fascinated me, along with Sri Lankan cake culture. I’m looking forward to making these back in my Tooting kitchen. I even brought home a cast iron poffertjes pan.