Parveen Ashraf facts for kids

Parveen Ashraf is a well-known British chef and food writer. She is famous for her delicious Indian cuisine and has appeared on many TV cooking shows. She was born in Bradford, England, and has shared her love for cooking with people all over the world.

Parveen's Early Life and Career

Parveen Ashraf was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, on June 22, 1965. She went to Carlton Bolling College when she was younger. For many years, Parveen worked in education. She even became an Ofsted inspector, which means she helped check how good schools were.

After facing a health challenge, Parveen decided to follow her true passion: cooking! She left her job and started her own catering company. She also began teaching Indian cooking classes at colleges in East Anglia.

Becoming a TV Chef

In 2010, Parveen created her own special recipes and spice kits. These kits helped people make real Indian food easily at home. She soon became a regular guest on TV shopping channels like Ideal World and Hochanda. In 2009, she even appeared on the popular TV show, Come Dine with Me.

Parveen's career really took off in 2018. She was a guest presenter on Saturday Morning with James Martin. She showed off her unique dishes, like her famous 'Onion Bhaji Butty'. Because of her success, ITV gave her her own cooking show.

Parveen's Indian Kitchen was a 10-part series that started in January 2019. It was a big hit! The show was later shown in many other countries. These included India, Norway, France, Australia, Sweden, and Israel.

Cookbooks and Awards

Parveen has also shared her cooking knowledge in books. Her first cookbook, Parveen The Spice Queen, Step by Step Authentic Indian Cooking, came out in 2016. After that, she started writing a weekly food column for the Peterborough Telegraph newspaper.

In June 2023, her second cookbook was published. It is called Parveen's Family Favourites: Food Cooked With Love. This book includes both classic and new fusion dishes.

Parveen is also a respected judge in the food world. In September 2021, she was chosen as the head judge for the Leicester Curry Awards. People even called her the 'Queen of Spice'! In 2023, she was part of the first-ever all-female judging panel for the Bradford Curry Awards.

Parveen's Family Life

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

Parveen's TV Shows

Parveen Ashraf has appeared on several television shows. Here are some of them: