A notebook of recipes, passed by hand.

Shamshir began in a small kitchen in Old Delhi where grandmother Rukhsana wrote her recipes into a single leather-bound notebook. Measurements in handfuls, spice in pinches, timings by the call to prayer. When the family moved to Guildford, the notebook came with us.

Today, that notebook sits on a shelf above the tandoor — its pages stained with turmeric and tomato. We still pound our garam masala on a stone slab every morning. We still ferment our naan dough overnight. We still seal the biryani pot with flour-and-water dough so not a wisp of steam escapes until the lid is broken at your table.

Nothing is microwaved. Nothing comes from a jar. Every curry simmers for hours, every tandoori marinates overnight, every roti is rolled by hand. It is slow food in a fast world — and we think you can taste the difference.