Eating out: Prashad in Leeds on Great British Menu to show Yorkshire heritage in Indian vegetarian cooking

For Prashad head chef Minal Patel, it was a dream come true to be invited to cook on the latest season of Great British Menu.

Minal, who developed her love of flavours and cooking among family and friends in the village where she grew up near Bombay in Gujarat, runs Prashad with her husband Bobby.

The couple are the second generation in charge of what has been a firm favourite on the Yorkshire dining scene for over 30 years, and was originally set up by Bobby’s parents Kaushy and Mohan Patel in 1992.

If you’ve never been, Bobby has some advice. “Everyone should taste Surti cuisine – traditional Gujarati cooking –at least once in their lives!”

Bobby grew up living above the original restaurant, after his mum and dad famously turned the family home into a very special Indian restaurant to showcase the vibrant, flavourful vegetarian food of their homeland.

“The family kitchen became the restaurant kitchen,” he said. And it was an immediate hit, with queues around the corner from the very beginning. “Gujarati food is renowned throughout India for its complex, layered flavours. It has the best pedigree!”

When Minal and Bobby got married, the opportunity came to hand over the reins in the kitchen.

And after 20 years at the helm, she still can’t wait to get into the kitchen every day.

“My family say I have so much more energy once I step through the doors,” she laughs. “It’s my happy place, and the staff are all like a family. In the kitchen we get on, we laugh, we enjoy it!”

Minal is a firm believer that our emotions and our love go into the food we cook and her dishes on Great British Menu are proof of her passion as a chef, and as a proud Indian and Yorkshirewoman.

A taste of Gujarat on the Great British Menu

“A producer reached out to ask if I would be interested in joining the competition, and that was followed up with an interview,” says Minal. “I always watched that programme on TV and when I was selected, I knew it was a huge opportunity for me.”

Prashad has always prided itself on cooking authentic Indian cuisine with Yorkshire ingredients, and this Yorkshire provenance runs right through Minal’s Great British Menu choices, which were a celebration of Great Britons.

“I took inspiration from historical people of Leeds and the surrounding areas,” she said, including Leonora Cohen, a Yorkshirewoman who fought for women’s rights to vote and Halifax’s Percy Shaw, the inventor of cat’s eyes.

She was judged on the programme by fellow famous Leeds restauranteur Michael O’Hare. The episodes aired on February 18th and 19th if you want to catch up on iPlayer.

Prashad regularly changes its menu to feature the best of the seasons ingredients, including their tasting menu. Minal has developed a nine course tasting menu inspired by some of her Great British Menu dishes (£72 per head), like the high-scoring ‘Cat’s Eye’ curry dish that impressed O’Hare. The tasting menu is available now alongside their à la carte offering.

Secret ingredient for success

“I love to cook and feed people,” says Minal. “I don’t think of it as cooking for customers, I want to make them happy and create tasty and flavourful dishes – it’s like cooking for family.”

Bobby, who describes himself as full-time dad to their 12-year-old daughter, and part-time Prashad manager, says it’s not just great food and service, and the warmer-than an Indian summer welcome that has kept diners coming here year after year. Though the attention to detail certainly helps, like the horticulturalist Prashad employ to keep the restaurants stunning indoor plants in tip-top condition. “We’re beyond proud to support other local businesses and to play an active role in our community,” says Bobby. “And we’re so grateful for the support we’ve received from customers, whether they’ve travelled two miles or 200.”

But for Bobby, it’s the commitment and authenticity that makes the biggest impact.

“It’s the fact that for over 30 years, the restaurant has been led by strong, female chefs that are doing something different”. Bobby reflects on how Minal was the first chef to bring Gujarati food to Great British Menu, cooking food that felt authentic to her and giving it a platform to shine, just like they do at the restaurant. Prashad is not just part of the family; it’s one of the family. Bobby says in the early days it was hard work and long hours just to earn enough to cover the bills, but it didn’t feel like work – it was a labour of love.

He says the awards, the accolades and the celebrity chef acknowledgements which followed have served as an extra energy boost for the family and the team, to keep pushing them forwards.

After all, the Prashad team are no stranger to the small screen. It’s been over 10 years since Prashad came runner-up on Gordon Ramsay's Best Restaurant, and a couple of years ago the Hairy Bikers dropped by for “the best dosa they’d ever had”, as well as a feature on Tom Kerridge’s ‘Hidden World of Hospitality’ series.

“Prashad has a big heart. It was a big vision and was a big dream,” says Bobby. He and Minal have vowed to continue the vision manifested by his parents to one-day hand on to the next generation, their daughter Maitri.

Find out more about Prashad and check out the menus here.