Following Drummond Street’s inaugural Samosa Walking Tour, hosted on Wednesday 4 October, Diwana has been crowned Samosa Wallah Champion of 2023 by Celebrity judges Sathnam Sanghera, Tara Lily and Avinash Shashidhara.

Drummond Street, an area with a rich cultural history just off Euston, celebrated the winner of the very first Samosa Walking Tour and Samosa Wallah 2023 Championship last night. Diwana was crowned as champion, with Ravi Shankar a close second and as the People’s Choice. This was the second of three events taking place on Drummond Street this year in a bid to support the local community that has been affected by HS2 developments. Groups of hungry samosa fans descended to the street to learn about the history and heritage of this unique neighbourhood which has been partly shaped by the culture and heritage of Bengali communities. With hundreds of free samosas to sample, Drummond Street was flooded with visitors from all over London to help crown the best samosa recipe.

Hosted by a local guide, over 100 visitors were taken on a tour through Drummond Street where the history of the street and the stories of the various traders were given. Guptas, Ravi Shankar, Diwana and Masala King served up their signature samosa specials for guests with the hopes of winning the title. Drummond Street institute, The Spice Shop provided an array of chutneys to accompany the famous samosa recipes.

The celebrity judging panel, and the public’s vote were taken into account as Diwana was crowed the winner of the Samosa Wallah Champion 2023. The celebrity judging panel included: British-Bengali singer song writer, Tara Lily, best-selling author of Empireland Sathnam Sanghera, and Great British menu winner of 2023, Avinash Shashidhara. The winning ceremony was held at nearby restaurant Chutney’s where a complimentary buffet was put on for all of those involved to enjoy.

Drummond Street trade has been reported to have dropped over 30%, by local traders attributed to the Hs2 build which blocked access to their once bustling road, and Covid 19 which brought with it a change of working habits. The Summer of Spice launched in May 2023, it aims to direct more footfall and awareness to the street, ensuring historic businesses and livelihoods are retained within this vibrant and eclectic area of London.
Drummond Street, NW1 2HL