Phyllis Ny pays tribute to the African hall party

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The first dish Phyllis Ny recalls making was a fried egg at the age of five. She remembers standing atop a stool in the kitchen of her childhood home in Ghana, watching the egg sizzle in the pan as her grandmother supervised closely. “It’s one of my most vivid childhood memories,” says the 31-year-old nurse-turned-private chef. “We had a small kitchen in the corner of the house, and I remember adding onions, tomatoes and a little bit of scotch bonnet chilli.”

Phyllis Ny prepares food before her guests arrive © Christian Cassiel

Ny’s thick-cut ribeye steak with suya powder and roasted garlic aïoli © Christian Cassiel

Health economist Mimi Jarjue-Rickets sips a hibiscus mocktail © Christian Cassiel

Tonight’s dinner is an homage to African hall parties, intergenerational gatherings with home-cooked food and lively music and dancing. “When my family first moved to the UK and we barely knew anyone, hall parties were a great means of making new friends and finding a piece of Ghana away from Ghana,” explains Ny. Whereas typical hall parties are held in community or church halls, the chef has borrowed her university pal Mimi Jarjue‑Rickets’ kitchen, which she’s decorated with taper candles, roses and marigolds. Other guests – a mix of lawyers, health economists and finance managers – include Ny’s fiancé Jack Gilbert, Jarjue-Rickets’s husband Alex and two others who met through Ny’s supper club, Asanka.

Named after the traditional Ghanaian clay pot, Asanka is a celebration of elevated west African staples. “I’ve always wanted to create a sense of community,” says Ny. “People meet at Asanka and leave as friends. You can come into a room filled with people who you don’t know and still get that fulfilment of being in a shared space. It’s added colour to my life.”

Tech account manager Vivien Adeosun tucks in to the dinner spread © Christian Cassiel

A plate of jollof rice, fennel, apple and pomegranate salad, plantain croquettes, peppered prawns and thick-cut ribeye steak © Christian Cassiel

From left: solicitors Alex Rickets and Jack Gilbert, Ny’s fiancé, chat to web developer Chima Nwosu © Christian Cassiel

From left: Adeosun, Nwosu, Kira Richards, the author, and Jarjue-Rickets tuck in to a sharing board — From left: Adeosun, Nwosu, the article’s author Kira Richards and Jarjue-Rickets tuck in to a sharing board © Christian Cassiel

The focal point of tonight’s feast is a ribeye steak, a smaller offering compared to traditional hall parties, where chafing dishes of jollof rice, meats and indulgent sweet pastries line tables swathed in vibrant fabrics. Jarjue-Rickets heads to the garden for sprigs of fresh rosemary while Ny sprinkles smoky suya powder over the top and prepares a creamy aïoli.

Ny prepares to serve her thick-cut ribeye © Christian Cassiel

Ny’s hibiscus mocktail, made with hibiscus and ginger syrup, orange juice and ginger ale © Christian Cassiel

Raising a toast with prosecco and a splash of hibiscus and ginger syrup © Christian Cassiel

Also bound for the table are punchy pepper prawns and plantain croquettes – an Asanka favourite – alongside Ghanaian jollof rice and fennel and apple salad. Though Ny opts for individually plated dishes for Asanka, “when I host at home on a more intimate scale, everyone helps themselves”, she says.

There is an emphasis on friendship and enjoyment throughout the meal. The group recalls stories of recent get-togethers while hands, dishes and conversations overlap. For Ny, food has always been the bridge connecting her culture and creativity. Now that passion is shared by inviting her loved ones into its embrace.