The festival of lights (also known as the festival of flavours) is upon us. Whether you're celebrating with family & friends or cooking up a lowkey meal to mark the occasion, for any Diwali feast, there are mustbuy staples to fill your festive table. While supermarket world food aisles have most of the goods, there are some more unique treasures you'll find at your neighbourhood convenience store, a great way to support local!

Snacks

Whether it's Cofresh chevda, Bombay mix, chakri or all three, these moorish bites are perfect to kick off a meal or to snack on throughout the day. No day is complete without several small bowls of the crunchy bites paired with several cups of hot chai.

Mithai

Barfi, ladoo, kaju katli…..just a few 'must have' Indian sweetmeats otherwise known as 'mithai'. Traditionally something you gift to friends and family in the lead up to and on the day, households aren't complete without beautifully adorned trays of sweet treats. To make your own, your pantry must be stocked with the basics of TRS nuts (pistachios, cashews, almonds), dates, raisins and East End Foods ground black cardamom, ghee and gram flour.

Fried delights

The time of the year when deep frying is more than encouraged. From East End Foods gram flourbased bhajis to whole atta puris, these indulgent foods are a staple across South Asian households. Kitchen surfaces up and down the country will be covered with newspaper and storage tins readied for the frying marathon.

Masala chai 

Black tea, milk and masalas. From morning to night, chai goes with all South Asian food. When making the Diwali rounds, hosts greet you with freshly fried snacks, mithai and the hot drink. The 'not so secret' secret is that all households are competing to serve up the best of each and when it comes to chai it's all about the hue of the tea, sweetness, and the balance of spices – and TRS chai masala blend gives tea-makers that edge.

The main event

Being tied to a religious festival, the feast usually consists of rich vegetarian dishes including daals, Everest paneer, and vegetable sides. Accompanied with rice, breads, pickles and yoghurt, the food is a celebration in itself. No South Asian meal is complete without the intricate balance of whole and ground spices. TRS and East End Foods offer a full product range that gives any home cook the ingredients they need to create something special this Diwali.

For recipes, further South Asian context and imagery get in touch with s.demello@woodrowcommunications.com