News Archive

Curry Class Act at the Mill

LUCKY CHILDREN from Darnley Primary School received a taste of Indian culture as well as seeing how chefs prepare the food at the Ashoka at the Mill.

The moment the children stepped into the Ashoka, they were greeted by a shower of rose petals and a friendly Namaste greeting by the staff wearing traditional Indian dress. Seema and Rajesh Saraf, who manage the Ashoka at the Mill, then went on to deliver a lesson on Indian culture that had the pupils and the teachers fascinated throughout.

Seema explained all the details of a Bride's Costume while Rajesh fended off the onslaught of the intense questioning from the inquisitive young minds about turbans, spices and even about his marital status. �We view the school visit as one more way we can contribute to the community,� said Rajesh. �We already do a lot of cooking demonstrations for older pupils at secondary schools, women�s groups and so on. Then we kept being approached by customers in the restaurant � teachers and head teachers, parents and even children � saying how it would be a great idea if we could let the younger ones see what goes on. So we approached the local schools and set up these visits formally.

We also wanted to do our bit in educating people from an early age in healthy options in diet and why they don�t need to eat junk food. Indian food has a strong tradition, going back thousands of years, of being healthy and nutritious.� The children then went into the extensive kitchen at the Ashoka at the Mill and were shown several spices, and how they were used in classic Indian dishes. Chef Dhiraj then went on to demonstrate how some dishes were prepared.The children were then treated to a food-tasting session which seemed to be just as popular with the teachers as with the kids.

The Ashoka at the Mill was opened in 2000 by Glasgow-based Harlequin Leisure Group, Europe�s largest chain of Indian restaurants employing 350 staff in 16 restaurants.