Ken Hom

World-renowned Chinese chef, food writer and broadcaster Ken Hom oversees a Chinese menu at this year’s festival opening dinner. Price includes drinks reception, dinner, wines and coffee. Dress code: business suits.

Hom is widely regarded as the leading world authority on Chinese cooking. He learnt to cook as a young boy in his uncle’s Chicago restaurant. He taught cookery to help with his university fees and his efforts were so popular he was recommended to the Culinary Academy. He was spotted by Indian cookery writer Madhur Jaffrey who recommended him to the BBC and Ken Hom’s Chinese Cookery was born in 1984. A number of further BBC series followed, including BBC2’s Exploring China: A Culinary Adventure in 2014.

Hom now has his own range of cookware, and acts as a consultant for dozens of leading hotels and restaurants and for the Cathay Pacific airline. He is author of dozens of books on Chinese and Asian cookery. He was awarded the OBE for services to culinary arts in 2009.

Hom talks about his new autobiography, Ken Hom: My Stir-fried Life, at another festival event.

The dinner is generously sponsored by Eileen and Dr Munir Majid.