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Hello... I'm Pat Chapman!
Welcome to The Curry Club – Britain's first and foremost authority on Asian food. If you've found us by entering www.patchapman.com, a link or by a search engine, I guess like me you're a confirmed curryholic.
Stay a while and have some curryfunalia and welcome to my web site. That’s me, Pat Chapman on the left of the picture and Dominique on the right. And it’s the very same Curry Club which Pat founded in 1981, the same elephants (given a makeover) and as always, a vast supply of information where you get in-depth answers about us, our activities and services ... but there’s loads more too: it’s all here!
The site is added to regularly, aiming to bring you everything you need to indulge your currinary needs. The site has lots of useful features such as our Online Shop. You've bought all your currinary Christmas pressies, and now it’s time to indulge yourself.
If you want a quick answer to something try entering a relevant word in the amazing Search box (top of the page) and see what you get. Try Korma, or Moghul or Gordon Ramsay (can’t imagine why!) for example. Before long the search box will tell you where to go for the best curry restaurant in Britain's major cities and towns. If your search doesn’t yield a result, let me know what you want to know.
Equally notable, we have made the site more interactive. To receive our e-letters, which will be published from time to time, subscribe in the left hand box, adjacent.
If you have views on food-related topics, or anything which you want to get off your chest, go to our new Blog page. Keep it interesting and printable please, and who knows, you may well appear on this site! We have a new page, Other Cuisines which takes a look at non-curry / spicy happenings and recipes of the gourmet world. Another feature is our Currinewsflashes below, which can take you to detailed information on our News and Events pages. And why not go to Feedback (in the left column or below) and tell us what you think of this site?
If you would like to contact me: Click Here
Enjoy Browsing - Enjoy Blogging
Enjoy Searching - Enjoy Shopping
Enjoy Currying!!!
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Price rises in the Recession - but NOT from The Curry Club
VAT has risen back to 17.5%, but not here, we've absorbed that increase!
If you are tightening your belt and feel that eating out at your favourite Curry House has become a little bit of a luxury (after all, who can afford £20 or more, per head, every week?). Not to worry, why not cook your favourite spicy dishes yourself at home! Remember...
"Dining In Is The New Dining Out"
And Pat and Dominique are here to help you! We are in the process of adding recipes to our website. Please be patient, it will take some time, but we will be looking out for your recipe of the week requests. Please email Dominique at chapman.curry@btconnect.com with your requests and she will make sure that the recipe that gets the most votes is added to this website.
Cookbooks - Cookery Courses - Party Food
The good news is that we are holding ALL our prices to last year's (2009) rates. Even better news, our Saturday Morning Cookery Course prices remain at their original 2003 rate. But, best of all... we've reduced the price of our Saturday Morning Thai Group Course. It is now the same as our Saturday Morning Curry Group Course!
If you would like to contact me: Click Here
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A Good Laugh At Virgin!
Virgin's brilliant ad celebrating the airline's 25th birthday, with the red uniformed honeys in killer, red patent high heels (Dominique loves those shoes - where can she buy a pair?), the 1984 icons and the smug pilot, hit the ratings with a thumbs up from most viewers. (Dominique loves it!) Days after its launch comes what has been lauded as the world's best passenger complaint.
Advertising exec Oliver Beale, returning to London from Mumbai on Virgin in December 2007, was so disgusted by the state of his in-flight food and entertainment, he sent a six-page rant to Sir Richard himself, to convey his disappointment. The letter, which also included five photographs of the “offending” dishes, has since been circulated around the world and has been almost universally praised for its pointedness and humour. This is Mr Beale's comment about one dish.
"Answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in." [see image]. "I know it looks like a baaji but it’s in custard Richard, custard. It must be the pudding. Well, you’ll be fascinated to hear that it wasn’t custard. It was a sour gel with a clear oil on top. It’s only redeeming feature was that it managed to be so alien to my palette that it took away the taste of the curry emanating from our miscellaneous central cuboid of beige matter."
Read the piece yourself? Go to: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/blog/editors_corner/article/11975/
PS: The Daily Telegraph asked readers which airline provides the best meals. Virgin Atlantic currently lies third (15 per cent) behind Singapore Airlines (40 per cent) and British Airways (20 per cent). We rate Air India, their curries travel well and taste good. (Pat always orders a vegetarian meal while Dominique has meat, and then we share!).
Our Comments: Mr Beale is probably Sir RB himself, or one of his staffers, to whom all publicity is good publicity! As for the dish, it is Carrot Halva with green pistachios!!! Dominique makes a wonderful Halva and will be requesting this recipe for the website. Serve it warm with Vanilla Ice Cream!
Thank You For Your Emails
on 1 Feb 2009, at 1713, Dan Fox wrote:
Dear Pat,
I love curry. I'm sure you've heard that before. I've spent some time in India and grew up in the Midlands, UK where I enjoyed regular take-outs! I own two of your books. (Indian Restaurant Cookbook and your full colour Curry Bible) but it was always easier just to phone the local delivery people. Four months ago my wife and I moved to Vancouver Island, Canada. No Indian takeaways. One local restaurant serving bland "Canadian curry" Oh dear oh dear. There was only one thing for it. I dug out your books and decided to give them a go.
I went to the mainland. Spent $160 on whole spices. $50 on an electric spice grinder. And $100 on air-tight plastic containers. Quite an investment! Then I set about making Tikka Madras Curry (page 89 of the Curry Bible).
I don't mind telling you that I called you many unpleasant names during the next three or four hours as I delved deeper and deeper into the recipe and realised just how complex it was ... I'm sure you can imagine what it's like when you start from the beginning and you have to make everything from grinding your own garam massala, to gravies - the works ... marinated my chicken in your yoghurty tandoori loveliness, But I did it .... and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY I had managed to recreate that "special taste" that I missed so dearly. Next, I decided to cook some more for my new Canadian friends to show them what a curry should really taste like. OH MY, was I popular that night! Imagine how good it felt to be in a room full of eight people and hearing them all go 'MMMMMMMM!!!!! This is like nothing I've ever tasted! The flavours are amazing !!! Wow !!!!!!!!!!' Your recipes are not for the faint hearted. And it took necessity for me to give them a go. But I am so glad I did.
So thank you Pat for taking the time to publish your books !!! It's so satisfying to finally be able to recreate that 'special curry taste' that I'd previously only known in restaurants and take-outs for my wife and I (and my ever growing bunch of Canadian friends / curry-converts!).
Best wishes and spiciest regards,
Dan and Vicky Fox
Me and My Spice Drawer!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3230309922_78f50f20ea_o.jpg
My first attempt at chicken tikka about to go under the grill ... (I cut the chicken much bigger these days)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3407/3230316760_534f1c1765_o.jpg
Caramelising Onions
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3398/3229466809_900d97171d_o.jpg
Dan Fox Editor www.urbangardenmagazine.com
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Revisit us soon for updated snippets. To go to our News page please click here
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"If you like Curry, you'll like The Curry Club"
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"If you like Curry, you'll like The Curry Club"
