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Lucky local
youngsters from 20 schools have been sampling a real taste of India
at the Ashoka at the Mill restaurant in Darnley, south-west Glasgow.
Children from
Darnley Primary School were the first not only to see how chefs
prepare the food but also give them a hand and relish the results on
Thursday 15 June at the popular Indian restaurant, which is part of
the Harlequin Leisure Group chain spanning the West of Scotland.
"We see
it as one more way we can contribute to the community," said the
Ashoka at the Mill's operations manager, Rajesh Saraf. "We
already do a lot of cooking demonstrations for older pupils at
secondary schools, women's groups and so on. Then we kept being
approached by customers in the restaurant - teachers and head
teachers, parents and even children - saying how it would be a great
idea if we could let the younger ones see what goes on.
"So we
got talking to the local schools and set up these visits formally.
All told we have parties from 20 schools lined up."
The children
went into the extensive kitchen at the Ashoka at the Mill and were
shown how some classic Indian dishes are prepared. "They'll be
encouraged to join in, making dough and pakoras and things,"
said Mr Saraf, "and then they'll taste the food - obviously the
recipes will be mild but we'll also show them how to spice it up
more.
"We hope
they get an idea of Indian culture and tradition, such as giving the
'Namaste' greeting when you meet people. We also want to do our bit
in educating people from an early age in healthy options in diet and
why they don't need to eat junk food. Indian food has a strong
tradition, going back thousands of years, of being healthy and
nutritious."
At the same
time, he says, "we're going to make sure the sessions are really
fun. Our chefs' demonstrations in the kitchen are always
entertaining, and then we'll also let the children tear round the big
Playzone we have in the restaurant for families. That should burn off
a few calories."
The Ashoka at
the Mill was opened in 2000 by Glasgow-based Harlequin Leisure Group,
Europe's largest chain of Indian restaurants employing 350 staff in
16 restaurants.
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