Indian food guru hits out at spicy TV chef talk

By SHERNA NOAH
Published on 30/10/2012 00:55

COOKERY star Madhur Jaffrey has criticised today’s “rude” television chefs.

The 79-year-old, who has penned more than 30 cookbooks, is back with a new TV series, Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation.

The household name admitted that she does sometimes let rip with expletives, but only under her breath.

“I couldn’t be that rude to people, if only because I wouldn’t like it done to me,” she explained.

“That said, I do swear from time to time, but only in a very quiet voice.”

Indian-born Jaffrey, who enjoyed acting roles in the films Shakespeare Wallah and the Merchant Ivory classic Heat And Dust, as well as a stint in EastEnders, presented her first BBC show, Indian Cookery, 30 years ago.

Since then, hot-tempered chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White have enjoyed success on the small screen.

She grew up in Delhi, in considerable affluence, but moved to Britain in the 1950s to take up a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

She never cooked in India, but when she was a student her mother used to send her recipes, and her friends used to flock to her house to taste these recreations of home.

Jaffrey, whose last major series was Flavours Of India in 1995, is returning to TV cookery after more than a decade and a half with a ten-part series on the Good Food channel.

The kitchen guru explores the impact of south Asian cuisine on various parts of the UK in the show.