J'AIME April 2018

we can’t commit to having our gazebo there when it
can be elsewhere catering for more people,” explains
Anna.
“And we hate turning work down because people are
gutted - they really want to book us for their special
event but we can’t because we have bigger jobs on.
So with the van I can go out and do the smaller
events while James goes off to set up the gazebo for
big events.”
Not ones to rest on their laurels, James and Anna
are constantly trying to improve and develop new
offerings.
“We’re slightly changing the batter mixture so it can
hold that tiny bit better,” says Anna. “If we fry it and
get it onto the trays really quickly it’s perfect, but if it
sits for a few minutes moisture can get into it and it
can soften slightly, so James has three different slight
variations on the recipe to test at the moment.
“We also want to introduce a cauliflower pakora so
that we can do a fully vegan offering. At the minute
we can give a pared down version of what we do
without the halloumi or the fish, but we want to be
able to do a vegan main component.
“I think the reason we’ve done so well is because
we’ve kept it really simple; we’ve got a tight menu
which concentrates on quality ingredients and we’ve
got really high standards in terms of customer
service.
“Testing everything is key too; we constantly eat our
own food. Some people create a dish and knock it
out over and over again, and every so often they need
to stop and just taste it and make sure it’s still exactly
how they want it to be. We crave our food; we were
so excited to get back to work in the new year after
our Christmas break because we wanted some of our
own fish and chips!”
While inspiration for their dishes can strike
anywhere, James and Anna loved returning to India
on their travels to immerse themselves in the cuisine
they love.
“When we went back to India two years ago, we
went into the Muslim quarter in Delhi and Anna
had done a bit of research on the best places to eat,”
says James. “There was this one place you wouldn’t
even have known it was an eatery; people were sat
around and this guy was cooking on a barbecue and
they served up these buffalo kebabs which was just
incredible.
“And we did a homestay too, staying with an Indian
couple, and we took the lady back to that restaurant
in Delhi and she couldn’t believe how great it was.”
With business booming and exciting developments
underway, James and Anna are looking to build on
The English Indian brand.
“It’s brilliant; we’re so chuffed with how it’s all
materialised and the plan now is to get The English
Indian recognised up and down the country,” says
Anna. “James likes to do things slowly and steadily
to make sure everything is right before we move
onto the next thing whereas I’d do everything at a
hundred miles an hour. I’m definitely about the ideas
and pushing things forward while James makes sure
we get it right. We’re a great team.
“We’ve got our first event in London coming up
in May, which is a five-day Asian-fusion festival in
Camden, and then we’re looking at a few more
events up north. And longer term we’d like to look
at franchising out the van concept and take The
English Indian at around the country.
“But ultimately, well, we want to retire to India; it’s
such a special place and that’s where we want to be.”
For more details and to discover where
you can find them next, follow The English
Indian on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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