Cricket commentator Isa Guha shares recipes from the heart

Fox cricket commentator Isa Guha is set to add some spice to our kitchens with her latest passion project.

Set to be the voice in our living rooms during The Ashes this summer, Fox cricket commentator Isa Guha is also poised to add some spice to our kitchens.

The former international England fast bowler shares a collection of authentic Bengali dishes in Roma’s Recipes, a cookbook created in honour of her mother, who died after a short battle with cancer.

Isa Guha from Fox Sports pictured at the SCG before the BBL Final. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

This year crowned the world’s best female cricket commentator by the Last Word on Sports network, Guha has focused her energies in the kitchen over the course of the pandemic, drawing comfort from curry, dahl and bhaji as she grieves her beloved mum, Roma.

Guha rallied a team of family and friends to create the book within a few days before Roma’s health deteriorated. “It was our way of saying ‘thank you’ and doing something for her after she had given so much to other people in her life,” says Guha, of her mother, who grew up in Calcutta and developed a passion for cooking as a young girl.

“Mum cooked all her life from the age of 8,” Guha says. “She loved entertaining people through food, showing them how to cook different dishes and sharing her recipes with others. She saw it as a great way to make people feel good and spread the message of kindness.”

All profits from Roma’s Recipes go towards not-for-profit organisation, The Kindness Factory, created by ex-cricketer Kath Koschel. Photo: Adam Yip

All profits from the sale of Roma’s Recipes go to The Kindness Factory, a global mission that funds kindness projects through schools and communities. The organisation, founded by former NSW cricketer Kath Koschel, is also a forum for people to log acts of kindness - from cutting the neighbour’s lawn to donating blood - with over 2.8 million tallied so far.

“Kath Koschel is a very close friend and is one of the most inspiring people I know,” says Guha. “Mum was a teacher and big on education playing a huge role in societal issues. They both shared similar values in that kindness can be found anywhere but also that instilling the message at an early age is key to making the world a better place.”

Bombay potatoes from Roma’s Recipes, a cookbook honouring the late mother of cricket great Isa Guha.

While kindness may seem at odds with the cutthroat world of competitive sport, Guha believes there’s a significant crossover. “It teaches you to respect your opponent and be graceful in defeat,” she says. “Anytime you fail is a learning experience and your ability to be kind when it hurts the most is for me what kindness is all about.”

For those who are far more likely to stir a pot than spin bowl, Guha says cooking is a time-honoured means of spreading kindness. “Cooking lends itself to sharing ideas, and food in general is associated with sitting down and enjoying it with other people and encouraging good times to flow,” she says. “Sharing your recipe with someone is an amazing gift, a very special thing to do, and that’s what (mum) was all about.”

Order a copy of Roma’s Recipes via a link on Isa Guha’s Instagram page @isaguha

Isa Guha will join other Fox Cricket experts to cover the upcoming Ashes Series live in 4K Ultra HD, available only on Foxtel.