At the age of seven, I left my grandfather’s house in India with my mother, sister and brother to join my father in the UK who had arrived 2 years earlier to further his medical studies.
It was a cold, alien country in which we found great comfort in the food my mother prepared every day from back “home”, an explosion of mouth-watering flavours and aromas which ignited all our senses.
Each summer as school finished for 6 wonderful weeks, we would return to India and immerse ourselves back in the hustle and bustle of living in households where so many people and generations lived together. Mornings would start with the ladies chatting over a cup of “cha” as they waited for the early morning bags of fresh groceries to arrive from the local bazaar. Then began the task of cooking fragrant and hearty dishes rich in the flavours of the Bengali cuisine. Home cooking was the heart and soul of our family.
Back in England, I would watch my mother intently recreating from memory the same dishes we had eaten back in India with my father driving for miles to find Indian grocery shops to buy all the different spices. As a young teenager, I became passionate about cooking my mother’s dishes and wrote every recipe down step by step in a journal.
After graduation, I moved from Preston to Oxford to pursue a career in business management but I never lost my passion for traditional Indian cooking, continuing to prepare the same wonderful food my mother made for my own family and friends.
Over the years I found that after tasting my home-cooked dishes there was an eagerness in friends to learn how to cook authentic Indian food. The concept of “In Anita’s Kitchen” started over 20 years ago when I decided to teach Indian cookery at evening classes and provide tastings and demonstrations at fundraising events in my children’s school. It was at events like these I realised that my passion was mirrored by many who attended the demonstrations.
Now in 2022, I am finally able to live my dream of working from home sharing that passion for cooking with so many new friends. I invite small groups of 4 to 8 guests to my home kitchen in Kirtlington, Oxfordshire to watch the demonstrations and enjoy the food in a relaxed and convivial setting.
The sessions have been designed as a sociable experience to share with family , friends or work colleagues. The dishes are cooked in real-time and you can bring your own drinks to enjoy whilst watching the demonstrations and tasting each dish. You will get to see, smell and taste each fragrant dish as it is prepared. Each session is designed to the dietary requirements of the guests and finishes with a homemade dessert.
The evenings are an ideal gift experience and special occasions can be catered for with prior notice. Returning guests to the sessions will taste new dishes every time unless personal favourites from previous sessions are requested. Recipes are emailed so there is no need for note taking!
Indian home-cooked food cooking demonstration in Kirtlington, Oxfordshire.
Experience the best of authentic Bengali cuisine with In Anita's Kitchen, your go-to destination for Indian cooking and private dining near Bicester, Oxfordshire. Hosted in my home kitchen in Kirtlington, I offer a range of sessions from brunches to celebration nights for small groups of 4-8 people. You'll witness in real-time as I cook my authentic family recipes from India, and leave with the knowledge and recipes to recreate the experience at home. Join me for a memorable Indian dining experience that's perfect for families and friends alike.
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