Hampton chef teams up with Manchester United

An Indian Chef from Hampton is changing the way Indian food is perceived by becoming the first Indian chef to be taken on by Manchester United Football Club.

Anjula Devi is best known for her extensive knowledge of spices, has become the first consultant chef on Indian cuisine at the historic football club. She has been working alongside executive chef James Tagg to create a delicious menu of curries and appetisers on match days at Old Trafford, catering for thousands of hungry football fans.

“Cooking has always been my passion, I wake up thinking of food and go to sleep thinking of it,” Anjula explains. “But to now share that passion on such a huge stage is an amazing opportunity. I have already learnt so much from the Man Utd catering team about cooking on such a large scale, but hope I’ve also shared some of my spice knowledge with the other chefs too.”

Anjula, who used to live in Hampton Wick, became a chef in 2010 when she started a traditional cooking class from home. The classes grew from there and she continued to expand.

She started doing supper clubs in Richmond Borough and people started asking how to cook traditional Indian food.

“This is when I started looking in consultancy, first teaming up with Lakeland and then Manchester United. My husband and children are both United fans, so picking them was an obvious choice.

“Especially as they are the biggest club in the world. We deliver authentic Indian food to a huge clientele, there are over 20 kitchens in the stadium and I’m just a small part in a big operation.

“On my menu, there are traditional curries, there isn’t a chicken tikka in sight,” she said.

Anjula started cooking at the tender age of eight with her father. She has formed a career and reputation through this passion, using years of experience to make wonderfully authentic and tasty Indian food. Anjula described herself as the ‘girl next door.’

“I don’t have a huge PR team behind me, I had a dream and worked hard to fulfill it. I hope that I can show people that they can achieve their dreams, with a solid plan and belief. I just love what I do.” Anjula said.

Her menu is a firm favourite among Old Trafford faithful and she is hoping to expand to Indian street food next year to provide an alternative to traditional sandwiches, post match. She is also hoping the pitch a healthy menu for players and expand locally to Twickenham Stadium.