A GREAT BRITISH DISH. That’s what curry has become, thanks to the wealth of curry houses on our High Streets, and the wealth of cooking sauces which make the dish a quick and easy mid-week store cupboard favourite.

However, one Lincolnshire man has recently re-invented the curry to make live easier, and the dish better!

Unfortunately for those mass-producing sauces, Lincolnshire foodies demand a little more from their curries. The county’s curry connoisseurs also have Lincolnshire’s endemic food values close to their hearts; freshness, provenance, and traceability are all qualities Lincolnshire folk take seriously, whether dining out or eating in.

So many cook-in sauces are made in huge volumes, and feature ingredients that are
neither traceable nor fresh... and that’s where Scunthorpe man Mafazul Huda had his
eureka moment.

“I was born in Bangladesh and came to the county at three years old.” says Maf. “My father was living in Scunthorpe and working at British Steel.”

Maf trained as a chef and began working down south in various curry houses.

The chef became fascinated by the UK’s love of curry, and it was around this time that curry overtook traditional dishes like Fish & Chips as the nation’s favourite.

Maf opened his first restaurant in Barton-upon-Humber in 1993, gaining popularity over the next 16 years.

But then, he decided to bring the same success to the home market too.

“It’s a favourite dish in the UK, and easy to cook.” says Maf. “But a good quality curry shouldn’t just be the preserve of restaurants.”

“I wanted to improve the quality of home-made curries and bring Lincolnshire values
of freshness and provenance to the dish too. More than this, though, I wanted to provide
a template that people could use as a ‘base’ to create their own curries.”

Five years ago, Maf created Mr Huda’s Chef’s Secrets, with a range of six initial products.

Today, the range includes eight pastes for the home market, and the company is Tastes of Lincolnshire approved, Select Lincolnshire affiliated, with Maf himself is one of celebrity chef Gary Rhodes’s Local Food Heroes.

“The products are unique as they use fresh ingredients.” says Maf. “Up to 20 herbs and spices are used, sourced freshly, often from local suppliers, used in the correct quantities and gently preserved to keep them at their best.”

Most ingenious is Maf’s Universal Curry Paste, which allows cooks at home to customise their curry with a ‘basic’ curry paste that can be used in Korma, Dupiaza, Madras, Vindaloo, Jalfrezi and Dansak curries. It can also be used in sauces, bolognese, soups and fish dishes.

“We want people to enjoy, experiment, embrace curry. It’s a culture, rather than just a single dish.” says Maf.

The company’s website features recipes with over 60 different recipes. including fusion dishes and healthy eating options. With each dish enhanced further by using fresh ingredients, Mr Huda’s range shares Lincolnshire’s appreciation for fresh, local ingredients whilst remaining easy to use and faithful to authentic Indian cuisine.

“A takeway, used to be the easy option for those looking for quality curry.” says Maf. “But with so many fresh ingredients and with locally sourced farm shop meat and fresh fish from Grimsby, there’s no reason cooking a home should be a challenge.”

“It’s easy to produce a really high quality curry at home, and that’s what we’ve tried to ensure with all our pastes.”

Currently, Mr Huda range is available in supermarkets, and farm shops across the county. He is also in talks with Waitrose and John Lewis, and with other supermarkets to spread the word that curry in a hurry doesn’t mean sacrificing quality!

For information on nearest stockists and recipes visit our website: www.mrhudas.co.uk Email: info@mrhudas.co.uk or call 01724 335492.