‘Food was the way we won our community around,’ said Nisha Katona, founder of the hugely popular restaurant brand Mowgli. ‘I was growing up in Skelmersdale and we were the only Indians in the village. One of my earliest memories is of a brick being thrown through the window with ‘Paki’ written on it.
‘Twice a week me and my brother would have fire bombs thrown at us, they’d come over the wall. It was normal for us but it was terrifying. My mum, Meena, was a GP and she had someone shouting and throwing stones at her and then she got into work and that same person was her first patient.’
But it was food that helped her family to be accepted. Neighbours were invited over for supper and school friends, curious to know more, tucked into her mum’s recipes – while Nisha not so secretly cringed and wished they were eating English food.
‘We fed people and when you feed someone, it’s harder for them not to like you,’ said Nisha. ‘My mum is an incredible woman to be able to do that when it was such a hard situation. She’d also do it after a really long day at work.
‘She would open up Findus Crispy Pancakes and put curry sauce in them. That was how we did it. Chips had turmeric on them – at a time when Indian food was hard to get. The turmeric came from a chemist and our garlic and ginger meant a trip to Manchester. She also created these incredible Indian dishes that were just amazing. And it worked.’
この記事は Lancashire Life の November 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Lancashire Life の November 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A Shopper's Paradise
‘Anything is possible’ is the boast of a famous Knightsbridge shop and it could equally apply to Clitheroe, where shoppers come eager to pick up something just that little bit different, especially in the run-up to Christmas
Back from the brink?
There are signs hedgehog numbers might be recovering, and we can all do our bit to help them, says Alan Wright of Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Memories of a LANCASHIRE CHILDHOOD
Blackburn-born Sara Foster has had a string of bestsellers on the other side of the world. With her latest novel now out, she reflects on her Lancashire roots
The tale of BEATRIX'S VALLEY
Land once owned by Beatrix Potter is at the heart of a noisy row over how we enjoy the Lake District
Liverpool's pyramid scheme
We’ve seen the shape of things to come – and it’s a pyramid. But are you ready to spend the afterlife piled high with 34,591 other people in Toxteth?
Around the world in 2000 paintings
Preston artist Martyn Hanks has spent 60 years globetrotting with his paints and brushes
WALKING THE BORDER
This glorious walk in the hills around Earby takes a peek over the county line
We will remember them
For a hundred years the Cenotaph has been the focal point for a nation’s grief, but few know its connection to Kirkby Lonsdale
A pawfect day out
The grounds of Holker Hall at Cartmel are a favourite with human and canine visitors
A LEGACY of LOVE
An unusual war memorial in Lancaster is a haven for wildlife and young people from the city