Anisah Qazi reviews the Halal Food Festival, finding it delicious and inclusive, offering a wide variety of goods and foods
A space which is halal and beneficial to the Muslim community…
The Halal Food Festival is an annual event held in the NEC which showcases Muslim-owned food vendors and lifestyles stores, priding itself on creating a space which is halal and beneficial to the Muslim community. The term ‘halal’ translates to ‘permissible’, and encompasses all things deemed lawful to Muslims.
The festival invokes this principle by only showcasing halal food carts, donating a portion of its profit to the charity Islamic Relief, and exhibiting stalls selling hijabs, ouds and other products which align with Muslim practices. The festival runs for two days over the weekend, and this year I had the pleasure of working as a volunteer behind the scenes for one day, and then joining as an attendee the next.
Walking into the massive venue, it is immediately obvious how much work goes into the event. Islamic Relief volunteers work hard to welcome everyone with smiles and pass the attendees lanyards with various discount deals attached to them. Jewellery, oils, perfumes, thobes, abayas…
The indoors section of the venue hosted all of the lifestyle stalls, which include cultural jewellery, oils, perfumes, thobes, abayas, and items such as fizzy drinks developed by Muslim business which pose an alternative to products many are boycotting due to their complicity in the occupation of Palestine.
The event is a proud display of the diversity of the British Muslim community, supporting African, Asian and Arab small businesses. Impressed by the items displayed I purchased Esque Perfume’s ‘Oud Patchouli’, for a bright and lasting day perfume, Prophetic Blends’ ‘Ethiopian Black Seed Oil’ to add to my collection of hair and skin oils, and high quality yet inexpensive hijabs from a variety of stalls.
Anisah Qazi
A specific chaat spice mix, tamarind sauce for a sour kick, and chilli sauce drizzled over…
Inside the venue were also a few street food carts, of which I tried Chat & Chaat papdi chaat, a South Asian street food item consisting of a chickpea mixed salad, yoghurt, a specific chaat spice mix, tamarind sauce for a sour kick, and chilli sauce drizzled over. The chaat was delicious, with all of the components delivering a variety of flavours with each mouthful, a refreshing and light start to the food journey.
Next, I tried some chicken dumplings, which were topped with fresh spring onions, soy sauce and chilli oil. I picked a mix of spicy and plain dumplings, both of which were quickly eaten by my family. The dumplings were juicy and the portions were generous, working as a perfect shareable starter.
Anisah Qazi
The outdoor section of the festival showcased a huge line up of food carts ranging from Korean corndogs to Egyptian wraps, as well as an area hosting amusement rides and photo stations. The food choices seemed endless, with neat queues lined up in front of each stall.
Food choices seemed endless…
After walking past wafts of bbq smoke and chai steam we settled on Culture Cooking Restaurant which showcased an array of vibrant Carribean food. We chose Ackee and Saltfish, which was salty and wholesome, as well as tender Curry Goat and well-marinated Jerk Chicken. The mains were accompanied with rice and peas and a choice of veg which included coleslaw, stewed veggies, and salad. The vendors were extremely friendly and enthusiastic about their food, which was delicious and satisfying. We ended our feasting by popping into the Brobà bubble tea cart adjacent and trying their fizzy selection, which provided a perfectly sweet kick to end the day.
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