Food and drink

A debut at Chequers?


31/ 5/2004

Aazam and friends - about town with top chef Aazam Ahmad

AS a professional chef it's a great feeling to be invited to cook for someone prominent - so yours truly was very excited when Cherie Blair asked me to create a curry at Chequers - the country seat of her husband, Prime Minister Tony Blair.
I met Cherie at a garden party I attended recently at the Cheshire home of Nighat Awan - the owner of the Shere Khan restaurant group.
I spoke to Cherie about curries and spices and she asked me if I would cook for her and Tony at their country retreat.
Of course it was a great honour and I accepted.
Cherie, who was dressed in an elegant ivory embroidered gown, told me she was particularly interested in my fusion cooking and wanted me to cook her a dish with both eastern and western flavours.
She also told me she loved Asian curries and liked most things spicy.
She had heard about me and knew I wrote for the Asian News.
Cherie is a very warm and pleasant woman, very easy to approach and make conversation with, I think all the guests at the party would have said the same

A legend in their lifetime
What a weeks it's been. Apart from chatting with the PM's wife, I was at the Manchester Legend awards sponsored by the vodka brand Smirnoff.
The awards recognise people who have made a contribution to Manchester and put the City on the map.
I was there on behalf of Shere Khan owners who received an recognition for their restaurants and the great food they offer.
The husband and wife team behind the Shere Khan group deserve the honour as they have worked tremendously hard to make their business a success.


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