My first house party in London

Today was special. I hosted my first house party in London.

I don’t even know if it qualifies as a “house party.” Maybe a welcome party. Maybe a housewarming. Or maybe just a small gathering where I could finally do what I’ve been wanting to for a while—invite people home, cook for them, and celebrate a moment together.

During the evening, I asked: “What’s been your highlight this past year? What would your younger self not believe if you told them about today?”

Most of our answers? Everything. Every single day.

Because living in London has felt like a fairy tale—sometimes overwhelming, sometimes lonely, but always full of highs and lows.

My first plan was to cook something desi. It was puja holidays in India, and I was missing home. But then reality hit—Indian food, as tasty as it is, takes time and patience. So, I leaned on a new skill I’ve been picking up lately: lasagna.

I made a veggie-loaded lasagna, layered with a tomato garlic base with some indian twist that I’ve been perfecting, some garlic bread on the side, and cocktails that I mixed from scratch using a berry syrup I learnt to make last week.

And then there was the star of the show—my flatmate’s famous chilli oil. Anyone who has tried it cannot stop raving about it.

For dessert, we had Cadbury chocolates and donuts. Simple, but sweet.

When I first came to London, I knew no one. No friends, no family. Just me, in a new city that felt exciting but also overwhelmingly lonely.

One year later, I look around my living room, and I see people who are family. Some couldn’t make it tonight. Some have already flown back to India. But everyone who has been part of this journey has made London a little more homely for me.

As they say, friends are the family you choose.

Tonight felt like a way of saying thank you to them—for being part of my life, for making me feel at home in a city that could have easily felt isolating.

We spent the night doing the most ordinary things—laughing about movies, seeing pretentious movie review, and sharing quirky London facts. But in the middle of it all, I felt something bigger: gratitude.

One friend told me, “Akshay, I’ve never seen you this bubbly, this energetic, this happy.”

And I realized—it’s true.

Not because I don’t have challenges (I do, plenty). But because I’ve found a sense of calm that gives me the space to face them. I’ve started investing in small things: cooking meals, keeping my space tidy, checking in on friends. Things I once thought I wasn’t capable of. Turns out, I am. And I’m getting better at them.

Looking back at the past year, things finally feel… at ease. Not perfect. Not without struggle. But at ease.

And maybe that’s what this gathering was all about. To pause, to share a meal, to laugh, and to remind myself that this moment—right here, right now—is enough.

Tonight was about gratitude. For my friends. For the journey. For the growth I didn’t see coming. For the peace I didn’t know I was capable of.

And if there’s one thing I take away from this evening, it’s this:

The moment we have is all we really have. And tonight, I was full—of food, of laughter, of love, and of life.

✨

Oh and I did not have time to dress up before my friends arrived. But with friends, should one really care? :P