Last month, I cooked at the Wakelyns Dal Festival. This was not a paid gig, nor was it competitive. I wanted to get involved simply because I absolutely love dal, local organic food, and wanted to support a brilliant local business.
This event was very local; Wakelyns Organic Farm is just down the road on the outskirts of Fressingfield. The farm has several micro-businesses, including Wakelyns Veg, Silva Kitchen & Bakery, Contemporary Hempery, Willow Phoenix, and Wakelyns Fruit Press.
The day started with familiarising myself with the outdoor kitchen, available ingredients, and the organic dals grown that are on the farm. I chose a small, dark dal for my Apple Dal Fry, which is nothing like the Toor Dal I usually use, but being small, I hoped it would cook down quickly and thicken. I was the first to start prepping and cooking. As I was doing so, a coachload of people arrived, and very quickly the kitchen filled with cooks from all ethnic backgrounds and countries.
My recipe was based on the Mango Dal Fry I cook and sell in the deli. But it didn’t feel right using imported fruit when the whole ethos of Wakelyns is to grow and sell local food. So I decided to swap the mango and instead used locally sourced cooking apples. As the mango offers tartness to dal, I thought cooking apples would do a brilliant job replicating that tartness. The swap worked well with many people saying how much they enjoyed it.
The rest of the day was a complete haze. I was so busy trying to cook down the dal, chat to people, and help others, that I really can’t remember much else other than thoroughly enjoying a stunning lunch from Silva Kitchen and spending ages trying to find all my pots and pans.
Thank you, Wakelyns, for letting me partake in such a unique, fun, and delicious festival. I loved every minute and hope to return in 2026. For more information on Wakelyns and all the events they hold, please visit wakelyns.co.uk