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Non-stop supergran
Shelina Begum3/ 2/2004
AT 70, when most men and women are long retired, supergran
Gurmit Pannum is busy doing what she loves most - cooking at her
top restaurant in Manchester.
She, along with her family, own Shimla Pinks, favourite curry house
of the famous.
Posh and Becks love Pinks' spicy fare, Justin Timberlake (already
minus Britney!) has quaffed larger with his vindaloo while Robbie
Williams orders a takeaway when he's in town.
But celebrity status does not phase granny Gurmit - after nearly
40-years in business with husband Gurmain, she knows hard work and
consistency are the key of success.
Gurmit's working day would floor a healthy 21-year-old.
It starts at their family home in Coventry over 100 miles from
work. She rises at 9am cleans and puts the home in order before
cooking for her husband, five years her senior and retired.
She then jumps into her car and drives herself to the restaurant.
After this two hour journey through heavy traffic, many would be
ready for a a snooze, but for super-gran the serious part of the
day has just begun.
She is in charge of all the restaurant's vegetarian dishes and with
increasing emphasis on healthy eating this is an ever expanding
menu.
Said Gurmit: "I love cooking which is why I entered the business in
the first place. I couldn't sit at home and do nothing, I like to
keep busy which is why, touch wood, I am still very healthy."
Gurmit works through the afternoon into the night when the
restaurant is packed and activity in the kitchen reaches a
crescendo.
Apart from personally creating dishes, Gurmit supervises staff
along with her son and daughter.
The long days journey into night ends in the small hours. It's 1am
when Gurmit finally downs tools, gets back into her car and heads
south.
"In the weekdays I finish work at 1am but on Saturdays I finish at
2.30am as it's our busiest night. But I don't feel tired, I feel so
energetic all the time. By working I'm getting all my exercise,
still enjoying my cooking and I get too see my son and daughter who
work with me. It's an ideal job.
"I enjoy what I do which is what has been keeping me on my
toes."
Manchester's Shimla Pinks is one of several restaurant of the same
name. The first opened in Glasgow in 1989 and 10 years later they
decided to open another in Birmingham.
Gurmit is not overawed meeting British and US celebrities because
her favourite stars come from Bollywood. And you don't get more
starry than her close friend and king of Bollywood, Amitabh
Bachchan.
"Amitabh always comes to see me if he's in England. He rang a few
days ago and my husband answered the phone but I was too busy to
talk to him and told him I'd ring later. He's a really good man and
loves my cooking."
Gurmit has made an amazing journey in life since she came to the UK
with her husband from the Punjab. They started on the factory floor
and have ended up masterminding one of the most successful
restaurant chains in Britain.
"Now people ask me when I'm going to retire, I just tell them
never, I've still got plenty of years ahead of me,"she
said.
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