About Me
From a young age my mum taught my sisters and I how to ‘be’ in the kitchen.
All our food was cooked from scratch, sometimes taking days of preparation. These formative years in the kitchen led me down the path of teaching and passing on my knowledge.
I have been teaching Indian cookery classes for over 20 years. I started in the kitchen of my house, and then, as the classes got more popular, we built a purpose-built, fully equipped kitchen at the bottom of the garden (my girl cave).
I absolutely love teaching; I never know who will be walking up the path, more than likely a stranger who then becomes a friend during the class, ending with an almighty special hug from me.
During classes, I always ask my students how they feed themselves; it's fascinating what happens in kitchens, and I count myself lucky to be privy to that information.
I hear stories of entertaining, fast and slow cooking, batch cooking, cooking with the family, cooking for one... insights I love to hear about that actually make me a better cook.
During these years of teaching and having so many different types of cooks at my doorstep, I have perfected not only teaching the key techniques of Indian food but also working out the best way to teach those curry lovers exactly how to create the flavours that they are craving. My classes are small, unique and completely hands-on as there’s only one of me, of course!
Family is everything to me, and my mum is a very dominant figure in my life. Every recipe I teach has parts of me and my family woven into it. They are practical and vary in effort and ease. During each class, I make it my mission to pass on as much information as I can. My students have full access to me afterwards for further questions (there have also been a fair few calls on Friday and Saturday nights).
I’m a very practical girl, and my hints, tips, and techniques have come from cooking with my family. Even now, in one conversation with my mum or sister, I can pick up a couple of kitchen hacks that I can use straight away. (They are like tik tok)
My beautiful business has led me down so many paths, from cooking and feeding people in a castle in Cumbria to consulting food manufacturers with my expertise in spices and authentic Indian cooking. I have worked with all the major supermarkets in the UK, advising on flavour profiling and authentic Indian cookery.
My journey with food and flavours is never-ending, and no two days are alike. I remain in contact with so many of my students, supplying them with spices and offering advice, and luckily some have become dear friends.