The Leopard’s beloved co-owner and chef, (which opened as a sort of worldly neighbourhood kitchen for seven years and thankfully continues to run as a deli), about her cooking and community.
In the beginning, it was partly because I liked making, and I liked the alchemy of transforming things. As time’s gone by I think it’s become increasingly about the family that develops through the cooking - both the people we work with, past and present, and those who’ve supported us and become ‘family’.
We have the most amazing cooks in our kitchen, our head chef, Amanda Maposa, is the most amazing person. We’ve always had an ethos in our kitchen, because we came from a restaurant, not a catering or kind of retail thing, that food has to be that level. We’re making deli meals exactly like you would get them in a restaurant.
It’s quite weather-dependent, but people always love the paneer masala that we make. It’s got this amazing Jersey milk that we make the paneer from, which is bouncy, succulent and velvety. Then we make our version of a butter chicken, even if it’s not completely authentic, people love that. Our wraps with taro and chicken or not, and apple atchar in a little roti thing are always a hit.
I’d describe it as mongrel and magpie (not as posh as fusion!)
I never get tired of spice or heat and sharpness. Vietnamese, Cantonese and Indian flavour combinations are some of my favourites. And I love the depth and umami in many Congolese dishes - Chicken Muambe, where smokiness, dende oil and peanut meet, is my favourite, but a mission to make. For sweet stuff, I think Portuguese Pudim - a version of creme caramel - is unbeatable.
Cream (for coffee), yoghurt, mayo, cucumber, plus one thousand condiments that annoy the whole family. If I was richer: grass-fed rib-eye steak and vinegared anchovies would be fridge staples too. In the pantry - the best eggs, lemons, peanut butter, marmite, chillies, tinned chickpeas and coffee.
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