Lunar New Year
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Celebrating Lunar New Year with Ping Coombes
Tuesday, 17 February, 2026Lunar New Year begins on Tuesday, February 17, marking the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse.
The most important date in the Chinese calendar and celebrated by millions around the world, the holiday follows the lunisolar calendar and reflects the vibrancy of Chinese culture, proudly showcasing traditions where food serves as a powerful connector.
With the spirit of cultural celebration at the heart of Lunar New Year, we caught up with MasterChef winner, Bath Spa University Honorary Graduate, and Bath local, Ping Coombes, who has built her career on a deep connection to her heritage, one that’s especially resonant this time of year.
Successfully shaping a career rooted in tradition and shaped by migration, Ping has brought her Malaysian Chinese roots into her cooking since the beginning.
Growing up in Ipoh, Malaysia, surrounded by vibrant street food and inspired by her mother’s cooking, Ping developed a passion for the flavours of her childhood. Now living in the UK, she continues to honour her roots, reinterpreting Malaysian and Chinese influences on the hit cooking show, MasterChef, and offering freshly cooked meals inspired by her heritage through her meal service company, Ping at Home.
A decade after winning Series 10 of MasterChef, Ping received an Honorary Doctorate for Social Inclusion from BSU in recognition of her culinary achievements, inspirational life story, and contributions to the local community. Now, she is celebrating the release of her brand-new cookbook, Rice.
A symbol of life, prosperity and abundance in many Southeast and East Asian countries, the book is a homage to rice, in which Ping offers advice and timeless recipes covering everything from rice dishes, dishes to partner with rice, sweet rice, savoury rice, rice snacks, foods made from rice, to entire chapters on fried rice and one-pot rice, pickles and condiments.
Discussing how her Chinese heritage has influenced her cooking, Ping said:
“Growing up in a Hakka Chinese household, my cooking and eating habits revolved around Chinese etiquette and preferences. In my new book, I have a section called Rice Partners, where I’ve designed dishes that pair perfectly with rice and are arranged according to Chinese cooking skill sets like stir fry, steam, braise, simmer, and deep fry.”
This Lunar New Year, Ping will be celebrating through the language of food, bringing friends and family together for a Lunar New Year’s Eve feast known as a Reunion Dinner. She described what this tradition entails:
“I prioritise the eve of the Lunar New Year more than any other day, especially now that my girls are older. I like them to get involved in a tradition so deeply rooted in their heritage. I invite my friends to join me on this important day. Dishes include Lou Sang - a prosperity toss salad, steamed chicken, whole fish, braised pork belly, noodles and rice and a selection of cookies, cakes and fruits.”
You can order Rice on the Waterstones website and find out more about Ping’s connection to BSU in the dedicated news story.