The Curry Club
Encyclopedia
The Curry Club was founded by Pat Chapman
in 1982, to further the understanding and appreciation of the cuisine
s of the Indian subcontinent
and now has a membership of several thousand.
In 2007 it became known as Pat Chapman’s Curry Club.
, Surrey
, England, The Curry Club is best known for its publications, particularly its range of cookbooks, DVDs, a regular magazine and the Good Curry Guide
a regularly published guidebook, which identifies the UK’s top curry restaurants.
In addition the Curry Club carries out cookery courses, demonstrations, trips to Indian restaurants and tours to India.
Until 2006 members paid a nominal subscription to receive a quarterly publication, the Curry Club Magazine
with contributions from members and professionals, including regular features on curry and the curry lands, news items, recipes and reports on restaurants.
Nowadays membership is free of charge and regularly updated information is sent online.
Curry Club members form the national network of reporters, which leads to the selection of restaurants in the Good Curry Guide
, and achievement awards to the top restaurants.
The Club holds hands-on private and group cooking tutorials at its Haslemere
cooking school
, and on the social side gourmet
nights at selected restaurants and venues. Between 1983 and 2009 the Club has organised sixteen gourmet trips to India and other countries, where a small group of enthusiasts engages in sight-seeing as well as sampling the food of each region.
Wanting to make information publicly available, Chapman founded the Curry Club as a hobby business in January 1982, a time when little information had been published on the subject of curry, and many of the published recipes were complicated and contained hard-to-get ingredients.
Pat Chapman
Patrick Lawrence Chapman is an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.-Early days:Chapman was born in London during the Blitz...
in 1982, to further the understanding and appreciation of the cuisine
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
s of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
and now has a membership of several thousand.
In 2007 it became known as Pat Chapman’s Curry Club.
Overview
Based in HaslemereHaslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England, The Curry Club is best known for its publications, particularly its range of cookbooks, DVDs, a regular magazine and the Good Curry Guide
Good Curry Guide
The Good Curry Guide is a regularly published guide to the UK’s top curry restaurants.The Good Curry Guide was first published in 1984, by Pat Chapman, founder of the The Curry Club and is the only such publication currently in print...
a regularly published guidebook, which identifies the UK’s top curry restaurants.
In addition the Curry Club carries out cookery courses, demonstrations, trips to Indian restaurants and tours to India.
Until 2006 members paid a nominal subscription to receive a quarterly publication, the Curry Club Magazine
Curry Club Magazine
The Curry Magazine is a printed periodical publication published by The Curry Club, England, and is the world’s only consumer magazine exclusively devoted to the subject of curry and the ‘curry lands’....
with contributions from members and professionals, including regular features on curry and the curry lands, news items, recipes and reports on restaurants.
Nowadays membership is free of charge and regularly updated information is sent online.
Curry Club members form the national network of reporters, which leads to the selection of restaurants in the Good Curry Guide
Good Curry Guide
The Good Curry Guide is a regularly published guide to the UK’s top curry restaurants.The Good Curry Guide was first published in 1984, by Pat Chapman, founder of the The Curry Club and is the only such publication currently in print...
, and achievement awards to the top restaurants.
The Club holds hands-on private and group cooking tutorials at its Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
cooking school
Cooking school
A cooking school or culinary school is an institution devoted to education in the art and science of food preparation. It also awards degrees which indicate that a student has undergone a particular curriculum and therefore displays a certain level of competency...
, and on the social side gourmet
Gourmet
Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses...
nights at selected restaurants and venues. Between 1983 and 2009 the Club has organised sixteen gourmet trips to India and other countries, where a small group of enthusiasts engages in sight-seeing as well as sampling the food of each region.
History
At an early age, Pat Chapman had been taught to cook Indian food by his Memsahib grandmother. After he left school, his friends, knowing his passion for the subject, asked him to teach them the secrets of spices and their cooking. Chapman’s work involved international travel, and during his visits to Asia he continued to amass knowledge of Asian cuisine. By the end of the 1970s, interest in curry was emerging nationwide.Wanting to make information publicly available, Chapman founded the Curry Club as a hobby business in January 1982, a time when little information had been published on the subject of curry, and many of the published recipes were complicated and contained hard-to-get ingredients.