Parveen Ashraf facts for kids

Parveen Ashraf is a well-known British food writer and TV chef. She is famous for sharing delicious Indian cuisine recipes. Parveen was born on June 22, 1965.

Parveen Ashraf: A Chef's Journey

Early Life and Career Change

Parveen Ashraf was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. She went to Carlton Bolling College. For many years, Parveen worked in education. She even became an inspector for Ofsted, which checks schools in England.

While working, Parveen faced a health challenge. After a year of treatment, she decided to change her career. She chose to follow her true passion: cooking. She started her own catering business. She also taught Indian cooking classes at colleges in East Anglia.

In 2010, Parveen created her own special recipes. She also made spice kits to help people cook real Indian food at home. Soon, she became a regular guest on TV shopping channels like Ideal World and Hochanda. In 2009, she appeared on the TV show, Come Dine with Me.

Becoming a TV Chef and Author

In 2016, Parveen published her first cookbook. It was called Parveen The Spice Queen, Step by Step Authentic Indian Cooking. She also started writing a weekly food column. This column appeared in the Peterborough Telegraph newspaper.

Parveen became a guest presenter on Saturday Morning with James Martin in October 2018. She showed off some of her own unique dishes. One popular dish was her 'Onion Bhaji Butty'. Her success on TV led to her own cooking show.

In January 2019, Parveen presented Parveen's Indian Kitchen. This show had 10 episodes. It was shown on ITV in the UK. Later, the series was broadcast in many other countries. These included India, Norway, France, Australia, Sweden, and Israel.

Judging and New Cookbooks

In September 2021, Parveen was chosen for an important role. She became the head judge for the Leicester Curry Awards 2020/21. People even called her the 'Queen of Spice'. Because of her success, she was invited to judge again.

In 2023, she joined the first all-female judging panel. This was for the 4th Annual Bradford Curry Awards. In June 2023, Parveen released her second cookbook. It is called Parveen's Family Favourites: Food Cooked With Love. This book has both classic and new fusion dishes.

Parveen's Life Outside the Kitchen

Parveen Ashraf is married to Qamar. He works as a civil engineer. They got married in 1987. They have three children together. Parveen currently lives in London.

Parveen also helps many good causes. She is an ambassador for Action Medical Research. This charity helps fund research for children's health. She has also worked with The One Family Charity. She traveled to Nepal to help women who have faced difficult situations.

TV Appearances