“Hello, Mr Kenilworth! I’ve stayed in your hotel in Kolkata and it’s a mighty fine one!”
Shaun Kenworthy chuckles as he recalls a case of mistaken identity. “I’ve been mistaken for all sorts of people,” he says with a grin. “But that’s Kolkata for you!” It’s a city with its own whimsical charm, where mistaken identities and quirky traditions go hand in hand. Take winter, for example: Kolkata gets so excited about the chill in the air that overcoats make an appearance even before the ash from Diwali’s firecrackers has settled.
Twenty-two years and counting, Shaun — a UK-born chef-consultant and jack-of-many-trades — has celebrated two decades of Christmases in the city. Over slices of decadent Christmas cake made with candied clementines, red wine-poached pears, fruits, brandy, and other delights, Karo Christine Kumar of My Kolkata sits down with Shaun and his wife, Pinky, at their beautiful Lake Gardens home to discuss how the season of cheer has evolved.
Karo Christine Kumar: Let’s start with Park Street, which wasn’t always this festive until a decade ago!
Shaun Kenworthy: Not at all! Christmas festivities would begin only around December 21, nobody did anything before that. Now, it feels like the city starts celebrating as soon as we step into December. It’s a bit like Puja, innit? I mean, Puja’s also gone wild since the pandemic.
A lit-up and packed Park Street on Christmas evening, 2024 Amit Datta
It has, but who’s complaining? Kolkata loves a good celebration. Speaking of which, what was Christmas like back home in the UK?
Shaun: I didn’t come from a particularly religious family, so it was more about being a great social and festive time of the year. Back in my father’s time, church attendance was a given in the UK. Now, it’s rare, perhaps only about 5-6 per cent of people go to church. Many churches have been converted into apartments, museums, or even pubs and restaurants. Chef Chris Galvin has a lovely restaurant called La Chapelle near London’s Liverpool station, which used to be a small chapel.
Pinky Kenworthy: We’ve been there! It’s a stunning space, several centuries old. They’ve had that restaurant for about 15 years… It’s a beautiful stone building.
A family Christmas tradition is savouring homemade grape wine and plum cake after midnight mass Karo Christine Kumar
Karo: For me, as a Goan Catholic, Christmas has always been about celebrating the birth of Jesus, and with it the message of love, joy and hope. Christmas and Easter are two days that everyone must attend mass even if they skip it the rest of the year. So it’s usually midnight mass for the family and back home for a glass of homemade wine and some Christmas cake. If it’s morning mass, though, the stakes are higher for dressing up – there are no overcoats to hide behind, and you’re bound to run into a lot of familiar faces! Is it similar for you, too?
Pinky: Even the Bengalis just love winter, and we’ll take any excuse to wear warm clothes, even if it’s a little premature.
Shaun: Bengali winter fashion hasn’t changed in the 22 years I’ve been in Kolkata! We go to the Lakes every morning for a walk. Those baby pink and blue knitted monkey caps paired with open sandals and socks? Classic Bengali winter style!
Pinky: Well, the Bengalis don’t care about looking good. We’re just happy the winters are here and we want to wear warm clothes! The festivities here start with Durga Puja in October and don’t stop until Saraswati Puja in February.
Shaun: Exactly! Durga Puja, Diwali, and the wedding season roll into Christmas – it’s a three-month-long party. Social media has amplified it, too. Everyone’s chasing the perfect photo these days. Everyone will be dressed in their ‘Zara finest’.
Speaking of shopping, have you made a stop at New Market?
Shaun: Not yet, actually. I heard the Christmas market is now set up outside, rather than in the centre of the market. But we’re feeling festive at home – we’ve already put up two Christmas trees (gestures towards the dining table, adorned with a pretty little tree)
Last year, I got my tree down from the loft two days before Christmas, which was awfully late, and it ended up staying well into January!
Shaun: In the West, it’s supposed to be bad luck if the tree or decorations are up more than 12 days after Christmas. And if you leave something beyond that time, you’re supposed to leave it all year.
There are so many traditions we don’t even realise exist…
Shaun: Absolutely. Traditionally, Christmas was a time for thorough house cleaning. So, it was like any other major religious festival, really. You’d clean, and buy new clothes. It dates back to the time when people only bought new clothes twice a year.
Pinky: It’s similar for us Bengalis. Bengali New Year and Durga Puja are the two occasions we do our springtime cleaning and buying of new clothes.
Shaun: And then there’s the turkey tradition. We’d have one every year back in the UK, and without fail, everyone would complain. ‘Bloody dry. Bloody awful. Don’t know why we have it!’So as long as I’ve been in Kolkata, by the 20th, suddenly there are turkeys in New Market and by the 26th, they’re gone. Although they’re scrawny and overpriced.
Pinky: Don’t forget the Brussels sprouts! Or, as some of us affectionately call them, ‘chhoto chhoto bandha kopi.’
A roast turkey Christmas dinner Karo Christine Kumar
Shaun: My mother, bless her, would put any meat in the oven until it was thoroughly cooked. But turkey? You just can’t treat it the same way. It really needs to be brined overnight to stay moist; otherwise, it’s just dry and tough. Personally, not my favourite.
Pinky: Then why does everyone still stick with turkey?
Shaun: Good question! These days, in the UK, you can just pick up skinless turkey breast at the supermarket. It’s easier to cook and less of a hassle. And some people have so much left after Christmas and they’re throwing everything in the bin because the use-by date’s gone, though it’s probably okay for a couple of more days!
I think some things never have a use-by date, like Christmas cakes! I’ve had them two months later and they taste just fine, especially with all the booze in them.
Shaun: Ah yes, that reminds me of this strange tradition. I’ve seen it in Kolkata. Marzipan iced cakes for weddings — it’s actually a very British thing. Saldanha Bakery makes them here for weddings. I’ve even heard of people in the UK who seal a tier of their wedding cake, wrap it up, keep it in a dark spot, and then douse it in booze, re-icing it for their first child’s Christening.
Speaking of food, have you seen preferences around Christmas food evolve in Kolkata?
Shaun: The club culture here keeps the traditional food alive. On Christmas Day, clubs like the Bengal Club see thousands of people, so you’ve got your turkey, ham, and all the usuals. We did something special at Glenburn Penthouse this year, too. There are some restaurant specials with turkey and duck, but not much has changed in terms of the traditional offerings.
I hear there’s some Christmas ice cream pudding in your fridge!
Shaun: We actually did a couple of Reels on Instagram, and I whipped it up using whatever was left — candied clementines, fruits poached in red wine. You’ve got to try it!
A few minutes later, we’re all happily digging into a glass of boozy Christmas pudding, and just like that, our chat comes to a deliciously spirited end.