Indian Spice Masterclass with Anjula Devi and Aida Khan at West London College – Wednesday 25th March 2026

Women in The Food Industry and Anjula Devi, Author of best-selling cookbook 15 Minute Indian and Consultant Chef for Manchester Utd teamed up with chef Aida Khan to provide a spice masterclass for  one of West London’s largest catering colleges – West London College – Hammersmith & Fulham Campus. Chef Lecturer of West London College, Kyla Bertrand was on hand to ensure her students got the most from the day.

All masterclass photography by Liesel Bockl

About the masterclass:

Blending spices is a fundamental skill in Indian cooking. Unlike many cuisines that rely on single dominant seasonings, Indian cuisine builds depth and complexity through carefully balanced spice combinations. The catering students at West London college learnt how mastering spice blending would elevate their dishes and help develop a professional
palate.

Developing skill in spice blending takes practice. Taste frequently, experiment confidently, and always aim for balance. As a budding catering professionals, consistency and understanding flavour profiles is the key to success.

Our guest chefs  – Anjula Devi

Anjula Devi personifies agelessness and health and is a firm believer in the power of food, especially spices. She is author of the upcoming book 15 Minute Indian: One-Pan recipes using minimal steps and ingredients and consultant chef with Manchester United and produces sustainable and authentic Indian cuisine.

Anjula started cooking with her father at the age of eight. At that time the ingredients for Indian cuisine were not as readily available as they are now and Anjula travelled on the number 207 bus with her father to Shepherd’s Bush Market where they would buy a selection of spices, fresh fish and Indian vegetables. ​​Utilising her cookery skills and passion for spices, Anjula launched her own business in 2010, Anjula Devi Authentic Indian Food, providing Indian dinner parties and Indian cookery classes.

Aida Khan

Aida Khan is a London-based restaurateur, chef and creative director best known for founding Shola Kitchen – a Pakistani, South Asian, female-led hospitality brand founded in 2019. Her professional journey in food spans nearly two decades, beginning with food television and cultural storytelling in Pakistan, followed by formal culinary training in London in 2016 and extensive experience across restaurants, events, catering and media.

Aida has led operations across restaurant concepts, pop-ups, large-scale catering and hospitality collaborations, including culinary partnerships with Soho House London. She has collaborated with global brands including Disney, Netflix and L’Oréal, and her work has been featured on ITV’s Lorraine, John & Lisa’s Kitchen, BBC Good Food and Food & Travel Magazine. Alongside her commercial work, Aida actively supports emerging leaders in food and is developing community-focused initiatives centred on skills and access

Vegetarian Rogan Josh with  Chickpeas

Under the guidance of Anjula and Aida the students mixed spice blends and were then guided on making a mild–medium spiced vegetarian Rogan Josh with a glossy gravy. Slow-cooked beans in ghee and yogurt gave richness and body, balanced by gentle chilli warmth, roasted spices, lemon juice, fresh coriander, and fresh curry leaves.

After lunch Anjula used the spice blends to demo preparing a leg of lamb for a spiced lamb curry. Using the spice blends and yoghurt for a marinade she showed how the lamb would become  soft and tender and then the following day could be cooked slowly. The dish would have a gentle chilli warmth, light tomato flavour, and a fresh taste at the end from lemon juice and coriander.

Kind thanks to our Ingredient Sponsors

Aussie Beef and Lamb

Aussie Beef and Lamb is a programme designed to promote and market Australian red meat globally and was developed by Meat & Livestock Australia.

Australia is one of the largest beef and lamb exporters in the world and exports to over 100 countries including the UK, EU, Japan, Korea, North America, China, SE Asia and the Middle East. With a wide range of products from organic and grass-fed beef to grain fed and long fed Wagyu as well as grass-fed lamb, thier world-leading supply chain, traceability and biosecurity systems has underpinned Australia’s reputation for producing some of the highest quality beef and lamb.

Bold Bean Co

Bold Bean Co is a UK-based, B Corp-certified, premium food brand on a mission to make people “bean obsessed” through high-quality, sustainably sourced, and slow-cooked, jarred heritage beans. Founded by Amelia Christie-Miller to challenge the dull, canned-bean market, the brand offers products like Queen Chickpeas, focusing on superior taste, texture, and soil health.

Allan Reeder Ltd

Established for over 50 years and a well-known name in the hospitality industry, the distinctive lorries and vans of Allan Reeder Ltd are a familiar site on the streets of London, delivering top quality dairy produce to some of the best hotels and restaurants in town.

A true family business with Allan himself still very much involved and daughter Heidi at his side, taking care of day-to-day operations, sales and customer service. Sons Ben and James also play an important role in the team dealing with scheduling, logistics, running the night shift and looking after the driver team – day or night there is always a Reeder around!

To close the day – the students sat down to complete a quiz set by Anjula to discover how much they had learnt throughout the day. It was marked by Aida Khan, Culinary Lecturer at West London College – Kyla Bertrand and Anjula Devi.

The winning student won a signed copy of Anjula’s 15 Minute Indian and a Calo Tiffin Box and signed copy of Anjula’s book was also given to the student who made the best spice blend earlier in the day.

Denise Charles, Head of Curriculum for Service Industries at West London College – photo by Carlos Farinha

Denise strives to support building the next generation of the hospitality industry workforce in her role as Head of Curriculum for Service Industries at West London College. Working with local employers she develops realistic working experience opportunities for catering students.

After the Indian Spice Masterclass she said “I wanted to extend a massive thank you for the wonderful enrichment opportunity you provided to our catering students at West London College. The Indian Spice Masterclass was truly outstanding and offered the students such valuable insight into spices, flavour building, and culinary culture.

I’ve already received lots of positive feedback from the students — many shared how much they learnt and how enjoyable and inspiring they found the session. It was clear how thoughtfully the class was designed and how much effort went into creating a meaningful learning experience.

We are incredibly grateful for your time, expertise, and generosity. Opportunities like this have a real and lasting impact on our learners, and we deeply appreciate your continued support.”

TASTE Restaurant is an award-winning commercial restaurant at Hammersmith & Fulham College.  TASTE Restaurant acts as a vital training ground for students, allowing them to gain hands-on experience under the guidance of expert chefs and mentors.