The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hosted its Taste of Cricket event at Shepherds Bush Cricket Club (Shepherds Bush CC). The latest in a series of community events happening this summer as part of the Taste of Cricket campaign. The event was part of Shepherds Bush’s own long-standing annual Memorial Day Caribbean Cricket Match. It saw the club open its doors to new and diverse communities and celebrate all those who work hard to make cricket more inclusive in the area.
Sponsored by Remitly, each special match tea event taking place across England and Wales this summer will showcase different stories of community clubs and volunteers who are driving positive change within the game and improving access to cricket.
Challenging the outdated stereotype of plain sandwiches and milky tea, all Taste of Cricket events will demonstrate the true variety of cuisines that are often shared during a match tea. Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, TV presenter Chris Bavin, and England Men’s Chris Jordan were present to help prepare the day’s dishes. Ainsley’s journey is intertwined in cricket – he was the Head Chef of the Long Room at Lord’s Cricket Ground in the early 1990s – making the Shepherds Bush event a return to his cricketing roots.
Kate Miller, the ECB’s Chief Communications Officer commented, “Being one of the only sports that breaks play to eat, cricket and food are intrinsically linked. Shepherds Bush Cricket Club has a long history of welcoming players from all corners of the world, making the club a natural partner for our Taste of Cricket campaign. Today was a brilliant celebration of this profound connection and the power it has to unite communities, both this summer with our Taste of Cricket event series, and beyond with the cookbook.”
