Levi Roots says Londoners can ‘take ownership’ of Notting Hill Carnival online

Levi Roots has joked that he is Notting Hill Carnival’s “sexy cheerleader”, ahead of the event being held online this weekend.

The entirely digital festival will feature chef Roots creating the ultimate carnival feast, as the event moves online for the first time in its 54-year history.

Roots said: “I’ve always been a bit like a sexy cheerleader for Carnival over the years, since my business took off via Carnival.

“I’ve always been (in) an ambassador role you know, I’m very proud of that… and to be seeing the carnival from a different way this time around.”

“For me, just getting back to this great institution that has been the sort of building blocks of my business that has turned me into one of the most notable Caribbean people in this country – that doesn’t kick a ball or run fast, I hasten to add.”

Roots, who shot to fame after appearing on BBC2’s Dragon’s Den in 2007, became an overnight culinary name as his Reggae, Reggae sauce hit the shelves of major retailers.

He said the new format would “give Londoners a chance to take ownership of Carnival for the first time because we can all get involved from the safety of our own homes and play a part in Carnival this year”.

Asked about lockdown and the last few months, he said it had been a time for him to reflect on his health.

He said: “Because of my business and my lifestyle and I think what Covid has done is given us all a chance to take up things that we probably wouldn’t have been doing before, and for me it was looking at my health and looking at how I can improve that.

“It’s been a fantastic thing actually because I’ve looked at food in a different way and now for me when I think about food, the first thing I think about is health first.”

A series of mini-films, highlighting Samsung’s 8K technology, are available online in Access All Areas. They can be viewed at www.NHCarnival.org.