Mamajaan’s Anjam Jabeen

Starting a business is pretty tough going. Starting a business from your own kitchen is that much more difficult. However, that did not put off Anjam whose homemade curry sauces have taken off in a big way.

After she started selling pots to her neighbours and fellow parents at the local school, word quickly got out. She now sells to branches of Budgens and the prestigious Fortnum & Mason. She invited the London Word round for a curry and the chance to talk about snakes, pubs and working for Dragons Den’s James Caan.

Is it true that you grew up in the Punjab?

‘No, I’m originally from Birmingham. It was my grandmother who lived out there and several members of my family went out to visit her and I ended up staying there for a year when I was around 11-12. It was madness, as I was meant to be going to this English school but I didn’t go. I would just hang out at the bazaar with school girls, go in the fields and then play hide and seek with boys on the flat roofs at night, where we all slept.

‘My grandmother found out about me missing school but didn’t mind. She took me aside, looked me in the eye and said, “I have never been to school, not even a day and look at me… I’m fine” However, my aunt found out and once she told my mum, she sent a return ticket back to England as well as a tape full of Punjabi abuse, she was so cross.’

How did you get into cooking?

‘I’ve always been around food. I’m from a large family and as the oldest sister; I was expected to do a lot of cooking. I learned a lot from my grandmother’s helpers and my parents also brought in a chef to try and teach us how to cook. It would be after school and the chef was from one of Birmingham’s best restaurant, he would instruct me and my sister on how to make different dishes.’

What brought you to London?

‘Work. Although I wanted to study fashion, my father insisted that I do something that was practical so I ended up studied accountancy at first and then I did fashion. He said, “She can make clothes, why does she need to learn how to make clothes?” I thought he hated me at the time.  I was artist in residence in Gospel Oak Village and did work in an art gallery in Hampstead, and whilst it’s lovely working there it didn’t really pay the bill.  I’m grateful for him making me do that now.

‘I was working for James Caan and to start off with, our offices were basically a corridor. Then when things got more successful, we moved into some magnificent buildings. But then I got pregnant. I thought I could go back six weeks after having my daughter but I just wanted to be around her. James Caan agreed to hold my job open for three months but after that time, I still wasn’t sure about going back. He ended up keeping it open for twelve months and by that stage, I just thought that it was a bit ridiculous so I had to say that I can’t come back. And he was very understanding about it as he and his wife are just really nice people.’

How did you end up choosing Hampstead Heath as a place to live?

‘One of the factors was the nursery for my daughter. I walked in and as soon as I saw the teachers that were there, I knew it was right for me. Hampstead Heath is great because it’s close to everything and it’s got a sense of community that I didn’t find when I was living in other parts of London. I live next to some fascinating people and we’re just able to leave our doors open and we just drop into each other’s houses.’

How difficult is it to turn what was a hobby into a business?

‘At the moment, touch wood, it’s not been too tricky. I’ve tried to grow it organically and I’ve been lucky in that the people that I’ve been dealing with have been really helpful. The people at Budgens are great because they support local business and enterprises.’

How did you end up selling your sauces to Fortnum & Mason?

‘I’ve always liked Fortnum and Mason’s, however, since getting into this business, I’ve been mixing with a lot of foodie people. They said that it was impossible to try and get my sauce in Fortnum & Mason as they are so exclusive. But I still really wanted to try to stock my sauce in there so I thought to myself “I’ll give it a go and see what happens.” I got in contact with the buyer and took my sauces in. ‘I was so nervous’ Once they agreed to stock my sauces, I was just overwhelmed. I came out of Fortnum & Mason went around the corner and broke down in tears. I wasn’t blubbing but was just so elated.’

Where do you like going out to eat?

‘There’s a lot of good places to eat in Hampstead.. There’s the Bengal Village up by the Royal Free Hospital, which is an amazing Indian restaurant. There’s also some great pubs nearby such as The Stag and The White Horse.’ I’m not very close to Ealing Road, but it has some fantastic south Indian  places to eat in such as ‘Sakonis’… it’s a very strange mix of odd deco and is very basic but if you ignore the Chinese menu and just concentrate on the south Indian dishes its great. You can see all the cooks cooking away and everything is freshly made with fresh herbs and spices… you have to try the huge masala dosa’s and the fresh coconut drink with as many chat’s, puri’s and sambharo’s as possible and finish with a piping hot masala tea.  The whole street is amazing, it’s like being in a part of India, the smells, the fabric shops and the machines squeezing sugarcane.’

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

‘At the moment I’m working on two new spices. One of them is going to be quite a hot sauce because even with the hottest sauce, the Belsize Bhuna, a lot of the guys and some women have asked for something a bit hotter. I’d also like to do a competition to find a new name for the two new sauces and see how far I can go with that.’

You can find Mamajaan’s sauces in four branches of Budgens (Crouch End, East Finchley, Hampstead, Islington and from this week in the Fulham Branch) as well as Fortnum & Mason. For more information on Mamajaan sauces, visit here.