David's Inspiration for Cooking Spicy Food
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I must have been about four or five when my father Maurice Price, first introduced me to the delights of spicy food.
Dad, who had always loved his food, had spent several years during the Second World War serving with the 11th Sikh regiment in India. It was during this period of his life that he was introduced to the delights of curry and all things spicy. Once back in the U.K he was forever looking for outlets to satisfy his appetite for the hot stuff. |
Brother Rhys and Maurice Price 11th Sikh Regiment India 1942
I can remember on one occasion coming home from school and seeing my mother holding a turkey drum stick, and applying a chili and mustard paste to it. When I asked her why she was doing this, she replied in a rather resigned manner, that Dad had to have his food constantly spiced up. I looked on absolutely intrigued by the whole thing, and his enthusiasm rubbed off on me to the extent that I too found myself wanting to try spicy food at every opportunity.
At the tender age of five I would mix up Coalman’s mustard powder with water, to have with my bacon rashers that I would cook myself. When I attended my first school St. Christopher’s in Hove at the same age, to my delight there was a bottle of H.P sauce on each table. I absolutely loved the taste of this fiery condiment, and to this day still use it regularly.
“My father would also take me for meals at the local curry houses on a regular basis in the Brighton area where we lived. I greatly enjoyed these outings, even though the number of outlets were rather few and far between in those days.
One of the more amusing aspects to these visits was my father’s attempt to communicate in Hindi with the waiters. In spite of his best efforts they never seemed to be able to understand a word of what he was saying. It turned out that they came from another part of the subcontinent, where a totally different language was spoken!
At the tender age of five I would mix up Coalman’s mustard powder with water, to have with my bacon rashers that I would cook myself. When I attended my first school St. Christopher’s in Hove at the same age, to my delight there was a bottle of H.P sauce on each table. I absolutely loved the taste of this fiery condiment, and to this day still use it regularly.
“My father would also take me for meals at the local curry houses on a regular basis in the Brighton area where we lived. I greatly enjoyed these outings, even though the number of outlets were rather few and far between in those days.
One of the more amusing aspects to these visits was my father’s attempt to communicate in Hindi with the waiters. In spite of his best efforts they never seemed to be able to understand a word of what he was saying. It turned out that they came from another part of the subcontinent, where a totally different language was spoken!
The Spicy Chef Aged 7 Central Hove 1961
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There were also several delicatessens near our family house in Hove, and I would often visit these shops with the family. I became absolutely fascinated by the food selections on display, and the exotic aromas lingering in the air. This was especially true of the large variety of salamis to be found in one of these shops, which became an endless source of interest to me.
The grocer on, seeing me drooling at the salami range, very kindly gave me a small slice of a different salami every time I visited the shop. Over the following months I tried, French, German, Italian, Danish, and Hungarian salami. By now I was completely hooked. |
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In 1972 at the age of nineteen having left my sixth form college earlier in the year, I went on a two month motoring trip around Greece with 2 friends. During this time I really acquired a taste for Eastern Mediterranean cuisine. I was fascinated by all sorts of variations and several of my current recipes can trace their inspiration back to this trip.
On my return in the autumn of 1972 I went on to study for an HND in Hotel Management at what is now Bournemouth University. |
Spicy Chef and friends at Parthenon, Athens 1972
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Belle Vue Palace Hotel. Bern, Switzerland.
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The Course at Bournemouth involved two periods of industrial training away from the College. The first of which was in Switzerland, were I worked for five months at the Belle Vue Palace hotel in Bern, doing silver service. The conditions were really quite tough, but I did have the opportunity to sample some truly outstanding food and wines whilst working there.
However having now seen the hotel industry at close quarters, I decided that this was not a career that I wished to pursue. |
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I did however manage over the following years to maintain a keen interest in cuisine, and not only did I regularly cook at home, but I also prepared dinner parties for friends at their houses.
During the recession of the early 1990’s and shortly after our first child Alex was born, I was inspired to put my catering skills to good use in earnest. This was in order to supplement what had now become a single household income. |
Bournemouth HND Catering March 1973
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The idea came to me of designing and producing our own range of ‘Spicy’ snack items from home, which could then be sold at the local markets. The money thus earned would then provide a much-needed supplement to our family budget. We named our enterprise ‘Hot Stuff’, and for the next four and a half years, I became a weekend market trader, with our home-made produce regularly selling out at the local car boot sales, and other markets.
First Car Boot Sale - assisted by son Alex 1992
The range we produced and sold consisted principally of, Lamb and Vegetable Samosas, Onion Bhajias, Scotch Eggs, Spicy Meat Balls, Cheese Scones, and Chinese Spring rolls.
For the winter season we supplemented the range with our own home made toffee apples, which my wife Patricia, among other things, helped to make.
Not only did the food sell very well, but during this time many of my regular customers asked me if I did catering for private functions as well.
This led to a number of bookings where I initially prepared finger buffets for private parties. I later went on to produce a number of formal three course evening meals for private dinner parties. The customers could enjoy these meals in the comfort of their own homes, without the bother of having to arrange and prepare the meals themselves.
The ‘finest hour’ during this period was organizing a banquet at Bishops Halt secondary school in Uxbridge, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of V.E day, in May 1995.
Using a ‘Marguerite Pattern’ World War Two recipe book, obtained from the Imperial War Museum, and with just one assistant to help me, we created a very successful banquet of four main dishes and a bread and butter pudding for dessert, for around 300 people.
It was hard work, but also great fun and very rewarding.
For the winter season we supplemented the range with our own home made toffee apples, which my wife Patricia, among other things, helped to make.
Not only did the food sell very well, but during this time many of my regular customers asked me if I did catering for private functions as well.
This led to a number of bookings where I initially prepared finger buffets for private parties. I later went on to produce a number of formal three course evening meals for private dinner parties. The customers could enjoy these meals in the comfort of their own homes, without the bother of having to arrange and prepare the meals themselves.
The ‘finest hour’ during this period was organizing a banquet at Bishops Halt secondary school in Uxbridge, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of V.E day, in May 1995.
Using a ‘Marguerite Pattern’ World War Two recipe book, obtained from the Imperial War Museum, and with just one assistant to help me, we created a very successful banquet of four main dishes and a bread and butter pudding for dessert, for around 300 people.
It was hard work, but also great fun and very rewarding.
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50th Anniversary V.E. Day Celebrations - May 1995
Sadly after only a few years I had to give up this lucrative sideline, due to an unforeseen health challenge, and my burgeoning career in catering was for the moment put on hold.
The real crux and inspiration for going back into catering, and eventually creating the Spicy Chef came during the severe recession, which started to affect our family in the early part of 2008. I became more and more focused on getting greater ‘Bangs for Bucks’, when sourcing food at the local Supermarkets. This in turn led to using more and more fresh produce, which not only saved money, but also inspired me to create and cook new dishes many of which had a ‘spicy theme’, with increasing regularity.
It gradually dawned on me that by writing these recipes down, and creating a series of recipes which could be used for future catering functions, I could build up a large portfolio of dishes (which now totals over 500!), which could then be served to potential customers.
Some of these are now illustrated on this web site. Click here to see.
Since starting out, inspiration has kicked in further, which has resulted in a number of recipes now being adapted for the 'Curries for the Freezer' range, and further ideas are currently in the pipeline, which will include a number of spicy relishes, which will be sold directly to the public and also through local retail outlets.
Much of the inspiration for the Spicy Chef dishes has come not only from my childhood, but also from the many people I have met over the years. These people have often yearned for a greater degree of flavour in their foods, and really appreciate that added ‘Spice Factor’ not only in Asian food, but also in more traditional British dishes as well. Many of the recipes therefore have an Anglo –Asian theme, which helps to cater for the ever-evolving food tastes of 21st century Britain.
There is also a growing awareness among food researchers that many spicy foods can have positive health benefits, in a surprising number of areas. These recipes are continuously evolving, as inspiration in the kitchen ‘kicks in’ and I am in the happy position to be able to share them with you now, and in future articles on this web site.
So please enjoy!
David Rhys Price
Spicy Chef.
The real crux and inspiration for going back into catering, and eventually creating the Spicy Chef came during the severe recession, which started to affect our family in the early part of 2008. I became more and more focused on getting greater ‘Bangs for Bucks’, when sourcing food at the local Supermarkets. This in turn led to using more and more fresh produce, which not only saved money, but also inspired me to create and cook new dishes many of which had a ‘spicy theme’, with increasing regularity.
It gradually dawned on me that by writing these recipes down, and creating a series of recipes which could be used for future catering functions, I could build up a large portfolio of dishes (which now totals over 500!), which could then be served to potential customers.
Some of these are now illustrated on this web site. Click here to see.
Since starting out, inspiration has kicked in further, which has resulted in a number of recipes now being adapted for the 'Curries for the Freezer' range, and further ideas are currently in the pipeline, which will include a number of spicy relishes, which will be sold directly to the public and also through local retail outlets.
Much of the inspiration for the Spicy Chef dishes has come not only from my childhood, but also from the many people I have met over the years. These people have often yearned for a greater degree of flavour in their foods, and really appreciate that added ‘Spice Factor’ not only in Asian food, but also in more traditional British dishes as well. Many of the recipes therefore have an Anglo –Asian theme, which helps to cater for the ever-evolving food tastes of 21st century Britain.
There is also a growing awareness among food researchers that many spicy foods can have positive health benefits, in a surprising number of areas. These recipes are continuously evolving, as inspiration in the kitchen ‘kicks in’ and I am in the happy position to be able to share them with you now, and in future articles on this web site.
So please enjoy!
David Rhys Price
Spicy Chef.