Mandira Sarkar grew up on a tea plantation in Assam, in a childhood filled with elephants, ponies, leopards and boarding school in the hills of Shillong.
After studying in Calcutta and completing an MBA in Delhi, she moved to England with her husband for what was meant to be one year. Twenty-eight years later, Surrey is firmly home.
In this episode of The Surrey Hills Portrait, Mandira joins Martin at Silent Pool in Albury, the atmospheric setting for Mandira’s Kitchen.
She explains how a 17-year career in management consultancy gave way to a food business that began with £750, a social media post and a small pop-up supper. What followed was catering, handmade freezer meals, local farm shops, a kitchen inside a 400-year-old cowshed and, eventually, a café.
Mandira also shares her determination to challenge British ideas about Indian food and restore some of the history, variety and power that spices have lost in the modern kitchen.
The conversation takes a more serious turn as Mandira reflects on the immigration raid carried out at Mandira’s Kitchen while she was away. She describes its effect on her staff, why she chose to speak publicly about what happened and the wider questions it raised for her about race, immigration and belonging in Britain.
Mandira also speaks candidly about the reality behind the awards and public recognition. Despite praise from Nigella Lawson and 15 food awards, running an independent hospitality business remains demanding, financially difficult and all-consuming.
This is a conversation about childhood, migration, identity, prejudice, entrepreneurship and the complicated reality of building a business you love.
Find out more about Mandira’s Kitchen at mandiraskitchen.com.
The Surrey Hills Portrait: stories from the people who live, work and create here.
