NORFOLK'S own Bhaji Man is hoping to curry favour with home cooks who want to create authentic Indian food in their own kitchens with a new range of spice kits.
NORFOLK'S own Bhaji Man is hoping to curry favour with home cooks who want to create authentic Indian food in their own kitchens with a new range of spice kits.
Businessman Don Lear has launched four new spice kits to complement his existing range of at-home curry kits which he sells online and at various outlets across the county.
Mr Lear hopes amateur chefs will turn down takeaways and introduce his kits to the kitchen with his new chicken korma, Thai green and Thai red curry and Goan pork vindaloo boxed spice and herb kits. Each kit costs from �2.50 to �2.75.
After spending decades running highly successful car dealerships in Norfolk, Mr Lear, 75, had planned to enjoy his retirement with a range of hobbies including fly-fishing and gardening, but found the lure of a new business venture too tempting to ignore. A talented cook and keen entertainer, he was known by neighbours as 'The Bhaji Man' thanks to the onion bhajis he served at barbecues and gatherings.
“I loved the name and thought to myself that I could make my own special spice kits which people could use at home to create their own onion bhajis,” he said.
With an initial investment of just �1,500 in 2006, Mr Lear decided to set up a new enterprise offering a range of spice kits complete with recipes and instructions that would allow amateur chefs to bring the taste of India into their own kitchens.
“I wanted it to be a legacy for my grandchildren, a selection of recipes 1,500 years old which I have cooked over and over again throughout my life and which I know to be foolproof,” said the grandfather-of-two, who lives in Great Hockham.
“I'd love to encourage people to get back into the kitchen and cook their own fresh meals using local produce and supporting other businesses in our area.
“Cooking is a wonderful way for families to get together and for couples to be more romantic. It's about infusing different herbs and spices so that at the end of the experience you have all these fantastic flavours. It's real food.”
Bhaji Man products are sold at outlets across Norfolk, including Jarrold's basement, at recipeinabox.bhajiman.co.uk and at online farmer's market welovelocalfood.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here