On 15 August, chef and restauranteur Ravinder Bhogal will launch the third series of the sell-out ‘Civilised Sundays’ programme at her Marylebone restaurant, Jikoni.
For each of the talks, Bhogal has woven together a menu which plays tribute to each of her guests' heritage, story and favourite foods, with Jikoni’s signature style of cooking across borders.
Welcoming Anita Rani, Claudia Roden (pictured) and Anoushka Shankar as the first three guests of a stellar line-up of speakers from the worlds of food, literature, music and the arts, Bhogal will serve a feast that celebrates her guest with a dedicated menu whilst they discuss their backgrounds, careers and heritage.
Before Bhogal welcomes her line up of formidable women, she herself will be in conversation with notable food critic Jay Rayner. They will be celebrating the one year anniversary of her acclaimed cookbook Jikoni: Proudly Inauthentic Recipes from an Immigrant Kitchen. Their conversation will be accompanied by a menu made up of some delicious recipes from the book.
Next, on 19 September, Bhogal will welcome award-winning broadcaster and author Anita Rani, a much-loved presenter on British television and a familiar voice on British radio. Bhogal will be in conversation with Rani discussing her just-published first book, The Right Sort of Girl.
On 10 October, Bhogal will be hosting one of her personal food heroines: Claudia Roden, one of the most respected and best-loved food writers in the business. Riden has been honoured with an Observer Food Monthly Lifetime Achievement Award and so it is only fitting that Allan Jenkins, editor of the
On 13 November, accomplished composer, sitarist and activist, Anoushka Shankar will be welcomed. She is the youngest and first female recipient of a British House of Commons Shield; the first Indian musician to perform live (twice) and has had seven Grammy Awards nominations. She will be discussing her life and music, inducing her most recent release Love Letters, PS.
Bhogal said, “Jikoni has always been a maternal space so it is fitting to have a season that celebrates these exceptional female cultural leaders who share Jikoni’s values of pluralism and diversity and I am so immensely proud and excited to be hosting each one of them.”
More guest speakers will be announced in the coming months.
Series Three follows on from the previous sold out events which launched in April 2019 and have played host to names such as historian William Dalrymple, composer Nitin Sawhney, poet and novelist Tishani Doshi and columnist and broadcaster Sathnam Sanghera.