Royal Approval For Brilliant 28 years don't usually slip by in a flash but that must have been just how HRH The Prince of Wales felt yesterday (Friday 9 November) when visiting the award-winning Brilliant Restaurant in Southall. The Duchess of Cornwall was the first to take note of the photo on the wall and then Prince Charles' face split into a broad grin as he recognised the picture of himself 28 years ago during his first visit to The Brilliant showing a somewhat more youthful Prince laughing with a bushy moustached, virile-looking Gulu Anand, one of the restaurant's owners. The occasion was a specially arranged visit by TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to support the Country Land & Business Association's "Just Ask" campaign. The campaign encourages the public to ask where the food on their plate comes from whenever they are out for a meal and producers supplying organic milk and dairy produce from Kent, lamb from Melton Mowbray and vegetables from a supplier in Southall, were on hand to show the quality of food available. With a subject very close to The Prince's heart, the Royal couple spent some time chatting to the supplier representatives before touring the restaurant with Mr Anand, his daughter Dipna and son Shankar during which they met and chatted with the staff. Then it was the turn of the handful of specially invited guests including British Curry Awards organiser Enam Ali and his daughter Justine and food writers Peter and Colleen Grove, to join in the conversation with the relaxed-looking Prince and The Duchess of Cornwall. Kewal Anand, who originally opened The Brilliant said, "The day could not be better - the sun is shining; we have a Royal visit; it is the restaurant's 32nd birthday and it is the first day of Diwali - what more could we ask for?" The Royal couple continued to chat for almost an hour, obviously enjoying the relaxed atmosphere during which the Prince commented that his next project concerned the proper usage of food waste and the Duchess remarked that the subject of food was appropriate as her son Tom is a well known food writer and critic. Gulu Anand said, "The Just Ask campaign has been a real eye-opener for us as it has shown that with certain products the food chain is extremely complex. This makes it difficult for restaurants like ours to show the origin of the food we serve. We already knowingly source the majority of our food from UK producers - our lamb, dairy products and all our vegetables - and we have educated our staff in this. Indian restaurants make up a high percentage of restaurants in the UK and if we can trace most of our food back to its origins then others can follow our lead." Prince Charles took time to chat to members of the sizeable crowd that had gathered outside the restaurant before being whisked off into the West London traffic. top