BUSINESS NEWS: Speed networking and Indian food offer from Moorkhana

SMALL firms in West Somerset and Taunton Deane are being given a quick and fun opportunity to find new suppliers or win new orders from local businesses while tucking into an Indian meal at the same time.
Mignon and Andrew Johnson, who run newly-opened Indian restaurant Moorkhana, in Wiveliscombe, have teamed up for the occasion with speed networking facilitator Rachel Sweet.
They will host a two-and-a-half-hour speed networking session over lunch in Moorkhana on Friday, November 14, from 11.30 am to 2 pm.
The event offers business owners and managers a fun way to meet new people and to source potential suppliers and generate interest in their services or products.
Mignon said: “As a small business ourselves, we would like to help other firms in the Deane to be equally successful and so we offered the Moorkhana function room for Rachel to hold a networking event where people can generate business for each other.
“Moorkhana already provides job opportunities and skills training for the local economy of Wiveliscombe, while we also support the surrounding business community through hiring out our function room, plus each room in the restaurant doubles as a gallery where local artists can display and sell their paintings.”
Rachel Sweet is on the board of the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and is also a UK Female Ambassador, and helps business women thinking of starting an enterprise or who need support and encouragement.
Places at the speed networking event, which cost £25, are limited because of the size of the premises, and can be booked by emailing enquiries@thesaffronkitchen.co.uk or faxing 01823 326682, or by post to Moorkhana, 3 Silver Street, Wiveliscombe, TA4 2PA. Cheques for £25 payable to ‘The Saffron Kitchen’ should follow by post.
Moorkhana, which is the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen, is a family-friendly restaurant serving meals between 6 pm and 10 pm on Wednesdays to Saturdays and lunchtimes by prior arrangement.
Mignon said: “Many of my recipes have been handed down through generations of my family and some of them are handwritten by my mother, which means the food in Moorkhana is authentic and tastes just how it would if you were actually in India.”
More information about Moorkhana and the speed networking event is available from Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 623648 or by visiting the website http://www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk/.

• Our photograph shows Mignon Johnson in traditional Indian dress. Photo submitted.

Residents experience Indian restaurant’s innovation and authenticity

NEIGHBOURS and other residents in a Somerset market town have been given a preview of an innovative new Indian restaurant which has brought the authentic taste of the sub-continent to their doorsteps.
Moorkhana opened its doors in Wiveliscombe with a special preview party for local residents as a ‘thank you’ for their support in recent weeks, which included neighbours helping owners Mignon and Andrew Johnson clear up after a graffiti attack.
A formal opening event is still being planned for the family-friendly restaurant, which serves meals between 6 pm and 10 pm on Wednesdays to Saturdays and lunchtimes by prior arrangement.
The Moorkhana ethos is distinctive among Indian restaurants in the UK as its menu, which changes weekly, comprises entirely authentic dishes cooked just as they would be in most communities in India.
For instance, dishes are of mild to medium strength, and customers need to make a special request if they want them prepared any hotter.
Mignon, who is an Indian national, said: “True Indian food is not blisteringly hot, but has a range of exquisite flavours which are often lost when it is typically prepared in this country with too much spiciness.
“With Moorkhana, we are trying to dispel many of the myths about Indian food and educate our customers to better understand and enjoy what they are eating.
“We use authentic recipes which have been handed down through generations of my family, so this is how the food would taste if you were actually in India.”
Almost all of Moorkhana’s food products are organic and sourced as locally as possible, again just as they would be in India, including organic chicken from Chitcombe Farm, Huish Champflower, Thorne’s Butchers, Exmoor Ales, Cotleigh Brewery, The Wine Shed, and the organic co-operative Somerset Organic Link.
Moorkhana has already created several new jobs for the town, most of which have been filled by local people, and is also offering a training opportunity for a curry chef, of which there is a shortage in the UK.
The surrounding business community is also being supported through a function room which is available for local organisations, while each room is also used as a gallery to display paintings by local artists which are available to be purchased.
Moorkhana also operates an environmentally-friendly takeaway service, using stainless steel tiffins which customers retain and reuse each time they visit.
Moorkhana is the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen, which built a reputation across much of the Westcountry through farmers’ markets in towns such as Taunton, Wellington, Cotford St Luke, Minehead, Exeter, Crewkerne, and Glastonbury.
The business enjoys a five star environmental health rating which means it has an ‘excellent level of compliance’ with food safety regulations and is ‘highly confident in management of food safety’.
More information about the Moorkhana restaurant is available from Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 623648 or by visiting the website www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk.

• Our photograph shows Mignon Johnson (standing, centre) with some of the preview party guests, who included local BBC television reporter Clinton Rogers (standing, left) and former Kingsmead School head teacher Brian Collingridge (standing, right), who is now a parish councillor. Photo submitted.

Community helps restaurant with graffiti clean-up

RESIDENTS in Wiveliscombe have been praised for coming to the rescue of a soon-to-open restaurant which suffered graffiti vandalism.
The Moorkhana restaurant in Silver Street is due to open mid to-late May, offering authentic Indian food cooked from family recipes.
But owners Mignon and Andrew Johnson were shocked to find that under the cover of darkness one night, vandals had graffiti-sprayed every window of the restaurant frontage.
Although some of the graffiti was particularly offensive toward the couple, Mignon – who is an Indian national - did not believe it was racially motivated.
And she praised local residents who expressed their disgust at the incident and who helped to clean the spray paint from the building.
Moorkhana is currently being converted from a former office and has already created an employment boost for the town by recruiting local staff.
Mignon said: “We have been overwhelmed by the kindness of our neighbours after this happened and quite a few of them came along and offered their help in cleaning it up
“It was quite a shock to see what had been done, but we understand that it was probably just the antics of some high-spirited youths who had been to a local party and had too much to drink.
“It has not put us off and work is now back on schedule for us to be ready to serve our first customers during the middle to late part of May.
“We have a CCTV system being installed in the restaurant and we will now adapt this so that if this sort of thing does happen again we will know who has done it.”
Moorkhana is still keen to hear from people who are interested in pursuing a career in the restaurant trade, especially anybody who could assist Mignon in the preparation of her authentic Indian cuisine.
Mignon said: “There is a shortage of curry chefs in the UK at the moment, so this would be a rare opportunity to acquire a culinary skill which is currently in great demand.”
The couple will be offering samples of their restaurant fayre when they take part in the Milverton Street Faire on the bank holiday Monday.
Moorkhana the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen, which built its reputation over the past few years through private party catering and regularly attending farmers’ markets in Taunton, Wellington, Cotford St Luke, Minehead, Exeter, Crewkerne, and Glastonbury, as well as by supplying select delicatessens.
The business has recently also been awarded five stars under the district council’s ‘scores on the doors’ scheme of inspecting food businesses, which means it is rated as having an ‘excellent level of compliance’ and being ‘highly confident in management of food safety’.
Moorkhana will be a family-friendly restaurant where children will be welcome. It also has a function room which can be used by local organisations. Customers will also be able to order takeaway dishes.
Any chefs who would like to work in the Moorkhana restaurant should contact Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 623648.
More information about Moorkhana is available by visiting the website http://www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk/.

• Our photographs show (TOP) Andrew Johnson cleaning away some of the graffiti, and (BELOW) some of the Wiveliscombe residents who have been helping with the clean up at Moorkhana. Photos submitted.
  
  

Indian food producer to open restaurant in market town

PLANNING permission has now been granted for award-winning Indian food producer Mignon Johnson to convert empty offices to a restaurant in Wiveliscombe.
The restaurant in Silver Street will be branded Moorkhana, which is the trading name of The Saffron Kitchen range of meals currently produced from Mignon’s home in Lydeard St Lawrence.
Work on converting the premises is due to start in the next few days and the restaurant is likely to be open by the beginning of May.
A special telephone number has been provided to local residents while the work is ongoing in case they need to raise any issues.
Mignon and her husband Andrew have already taken on some staff, but are still looking for more employees, especially kitchen assistants, cleaning staff, and waiting staff, whom they hope will be people who live locally.
The couple are keen to support the Wiveliscombe economy through generating new jobs, continuing to source local produce wherever possible, and bringing more visitors to the town
Samples of the food which can be eaten in the Moorkhana restaurant will be available at the Milverton Street Fair on bank holiday Monday, May 5, which Mignon and Andrew will be attending.
Moorkhana has recently also been awarded five stars under Taunton Deane Borough Council’s ‘scores on the doors’ scheme of inspecting food businesses, which means it is rated as having an ‘excellent level of compliance’ and being ‘highly confident in management of food safety’.
Mignon, who is an Indian national, said: “The Moorkhana restaurant is going to be very different from the type of Indian restaurant people have become used to in this country.
“All of our meals use family recipes which we cook ourselves and that means we will have a select menu and not the seemingly endless choices you find in some restaurants.
“It may surprise some people, for instance, to learn that there is no such dish as chicken tikka masala in India - it is something that has been created over here to suit English tastes.
“As well as serving authentic food just like you would find in India, we hope to educate customers about what they are eating to increase their enjoyment of the food and add value to their restaurant experience.
“Our market research shows we are likely to attract people from a large area of Somerset, so it means there are opportunities for other Wiveliscombe businesses to also benefit.”
Moorkhana will be a family-friendly restaurant where children will be welcome, and it also has a function room which can be used by local organisations. Customers will also be able to order takeaway dishes.
Moorkhana has built its reputation over the past few years by regularly attending farmers’ markets in Taunton, Wellington, Cotford St Luke, Minehead, Exeter, Crewkerne, and Glastonbury, and more recently by supplying select delicatessens.
Anybody who would like to work in the Moorkhana restaurant should contact Mignon and Andrew Johnson by telephoning 01984 656931 or emailing to enquiries@thesaffronkitchen.co.uk.
More information about Moorkhana and its range of Indian foods is available by visiting the websites www.thesaffronkitchen.co.uk and www.localfooddirect.co.uk.

• Our photograph shows Mignon and Andrew Johnson outside the offices they plan to convert into an Indian restaurant. Photo submitted.

Festive market brings Christmas trading boost to Dunster

TRADERS in Dunster are set to receive a seasonal boost when a festive farmers’ market is held in the beautiful surrounds of Dunster Castle on December 1 from 11 am to 3 pm.
More than 25 local producers taking part in the market will be offering everything from meat and fish to Indian cuisine and chocolates.
Visitors will be able to buy their Christmas puddings and cakes and stock up on warming cider brandy and exquisite local preserves.
There will be a chance to sample hot cider punch and homemade pastries and pies.
Afterwards, visitors can take a look around the grounds of Dunster Castle, visit the special National Trust Christmas Shop in the castle dining room, or wander into Dunster village to continue their Christmas shopping.
The market is being organised by the National Trust with support from Somerset Food Links.
It is the fourth year the popular festive market has been held.
Parking is available at the castle for £2, or a short walk away in the village.
There will also be an opportunity to book a guided tour of the castle halls for the annual ‘Deck the Halls’ event with demonstrations of garland and wreath making.
Advance booking is advisable on 01643 821314. Prices are £3 for adults and £1.50 for children.

• Our photograph shows Mignon and Andrew Johnson, who will be attending the festive farmers’ market with their range of Indian foods. Photo submitted.