Spotlight: The Power of Food Festival – “Chai-Chana Time”, 20 September 2025
The Power of Food Festival was a 10-day festival across Tower Hamlets – celebrating the borough’s community and food cultures, and showcasing local projects building fairer, more sustainable food systems.
Food and Power
This festival invited us to think about the unique power of food. It is at the heart of our lives, connecting us to our traditions, cultures, and people around us. It links to how we care for ourselves and others. It also invites us to think about how we can take power into our own hands and reclaim our food system – so it has the interests of our communities and the environment at its heart. From learning food skills, to practicing our culture and feeling connected to our communities, to building alternative ways of growing, buying, sharing and composting food – these are all ways that can put power back into our hands.
Trust’s event
Participants joined for Chanachur making, Masala chai tasting and Carrom board playing to find out about the British Bengali, a popular street food snack, hot drink and game and to get to know you neighbours in Tower Hamlets.
Participants first prepared paper cones with a simple folding technique. Trust’s facilitators introduced the concept of a freshly made South Asian Street snack of chana chur, which can be made at home by South Asians all over the world to individual/regional recipes to accompany masala chai.
Chanachur making was demonstrated in person by a facilitator, and then participants made their own snacks on tables following instructions and supported by volunteers.
Participants first had an opportunity to cut and prepare the fresh ingredients and then add the liquids and finally the dried ingredients in a Tupperware box that they shake, bringing the ingredients together, which they can put into paper cones to eat straight away and or eat with masala chai. The facilitator introduced where chai originates from -China and how the British took to India to grow, where it evolved into masala chai, which is enjoyed all over the world, including the UK. Dried Chai spices are shared with the participants in containers in which they can open and take out to smell and touch. The facilitator demonstrated making tea on the electric hob by boiling the milk first, adding tea leaves and then dried spices and sugar.
The facilitator invited participants to drink hot chai when cooled, to drink and taste the chana chur snacks they had just made.
The participants waiting to make chana chur and taste masala chai played on two carrom boards in groups of twos or fours.