The winning dish will be featured on the Cellarium’s special Commonwealth menu and enjoyed by visitors
This summer, Westminster Abbey’s Cellarium Café & Terrace is celebrating the rich and diverse flavours and food traditions of the Commonwealth with a unique initiative: the Commonwealth Special Dish competition.
Westminster Abbey has long-standing links with the Commonwealth – a voluntary association of 56 independent countries with a shared history and a joint commitment to development, democracy and peace – and hosts the annual Commonwealth Day service every March.
The competition, now live, asks the public to submit their favourite recipe or dish from any Commonwealth country, along with a brief explanation of why it is meaningful to them.
From fiery Trinidadian doubles stuffed with spiced chickpeas, to rich Sri Lankan wattalapam, a coconut and jaggery custard, fragrant Malaysian laksa bursting with lemongrass and chilli, tangy South African bobotie baked with a golden egg topping, delicate Fijian cassava cake, and aromatic Kenyan sukuma wiki, the competition encourages participants to be as unique and personal as possible, showcasing the extraordinary variety of tastes and traditions across the Commonwealth.
The winning dish will be added to the Cellarium’s special Commonwealth menu, which will run throughout the summer, and the winner will also receive a £200 voucher to enjoy their creation at Westminster Abbey. Entries will be judged on both flavour and story, celebrating the personal and cultural significance of each recipe.
Served in the Abbey’s historic Cellarium, with its soaring glass ceiling and views of Westminster Abbey’s ancient stonework, the special menu allows diners to embark on a global journey through flavour while honouring the unity and diversity of the Commonwealth.
“Food has a unique power to tell stories, connect cultures, and bring people together,” said Lorraine Rossdale, Head of Ceremonial, Events and Marketing at Westminster Abbey. “This competition reflects the Abbey’s long-standing tradition as a place of worship, celebration and commemoration with enduring links to the nations of the Commonwealth”.
Submissions are now open and close on Monday 2nd March, with the winner announced on Monday 9th March. The competition offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for food lovers across the UK to see their favourite Commonwealth dish celebrated in one of London’s most iconic historic venues.
To enter the competition, please submit your story at the following link: https://www.benugo.com/commonwealth-dish-competition/
Cellarium Café & Terrace, Westminster Abbey, London
To reserve a table at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey, click here.
ABOUT BENUGO
Benugo was founded in 1998 in Clerkenwell, London, by brothers Ben and Hugo. They had a vision of not just creating superb, natural food but of giving London something that was a real experience. This vision is still true today.
The Benugo brand stretches from award-winning high street stores to cafes and restaurants within some of the world’s best-loved public spaces and high-volume visitor attractions such as Natural History Museum, V&A, Ashmolean, The British Museum, Science Museum, ABBA Voyage, BFI Southbank, Edinburgh and Stirling Castles and John Lewis stores throughout the UK. A strong retail discipline coupled with an independent and entrepreneurial spirit underpins the whole brand.
ABOUT WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Westminster Abbey is one of the world’s great churches, with a history stretching back over a thousand years. Every year visitors from around the world come to explore this wonderful 750-year-old building and to worship at the daily services which are at the heart of life at the Abbey.
The Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since that of William the Conqueror in 1066 and has witnessed countless other great events in the life of the nation, including sixteen royal weddings.
The Abbey is the burial place of many great men and women of our history. In the nave is the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, and celebrated writers, scientists, musicians, and politicians are also remembered here, including Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, George Frederic Handel and Sir Winston Churchill.
The Abbey is an architectural masterpiece. Founded in 960 as a Benedictine monastery and rebuilt by St Edward the Confessor in 1065, the building we see today was begun by Henry III in the Gothic style in 1245. It is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of St Edward the Confessor still at its heart.
The Abbey has a distinctive role within the Church of England. It is neither a cathedral nor a parish church and stands outside the normal jurisdiction of bishops and archbishops. It is instead a ‘Royal Peculiar’ the status granted to it in 1560 by Elizabeth I, under which the Dean and Chapter are directly answerable to the Sovereign.