Thali Café's Bombay chips

It's become a bit of a ritual to head for our local Thali Café for a takeaway the first night we're back from holiday. The justification being we're too tired to shop and cook and besides, if we've been in France, which we usually have, we've had to survive two weeks without spicy food. And if we order the dairy-free, veggie thali it's healthy, we tell ourselves. Ish.

Unfortunately a new temptation lay in wait. On a sign just by the till, as alluring as the display of sweets by a supermarket checkout - Bombay potato chips.

Well, I had to try them, didn't I? In the interests of research.

And regrettably they were fab. Thinly cut from new potatoes, I would guess, dunked in pakora batter and deep fried they were probably as fattening as family pack of KFC. Good though. Oh-so good. Especially with a fresh coconut raita with (I think) mustard seeds.

And they cost just £1.95, drat them.

Just keep away.

Cook - or rather don’t cook

A new shop’s opened up on the Whiteladies road in Bristol on the unlikely site of the former Britannia building society. It’s called Cook and it looks a bit like a farm shop. Apart from the fact that it’s full not of fresh produce but freezers.

I must admit we went in in a highly sceptical frame of mind. It’s packed with frozen dishes to take away none of which look particularly inspiring in their frozen form.

It looked like a chain and it turns out it is - with a startling 32 branches mainly in such genteel home counties outposts as Haywards Heath and Tunbridge Wells.

We thought we’d buy a couple of their dishes to try and you know what? They were jolly good - and I feel jolly is the right word. A bit like a 1970s dinner party - but none the worse for that. You’d be pleased if your friends cooked as well. You’d be ecstatic to have food this good in the average pub (as well you might since they apparently supply pubs and restaurants too)

One was a Wild Mushroom, Spinach and Butternut Lasagne (£3.75 for one) with a really good wild mushroom taste. The other a dish of Liver, Bacon and Onions (£2.85) with a proper gravy. I couldn't fault them for the price.

The blurb in the free 'Cook Book' or catalogue they give away says “most of our customers are good cooks who appreciate good food but Cook exists for those two or three nights a week when frankly you have got better things to do than cook and you want to serve a meal that is as good as your own cooking.” They single out new parents, the elderly and people who are suffering from ill-health as target customers to whom I would add students (assuming their parents are willing to sub them a delivery) and anyone living on their own.

The only criticism I’d make is that their ‘best before’ dates seem a bit lengthy. I remember from my days running a frozen food service (Frozen Assets!) that cooked meals were best eaten within 3 months of freezing. The date on the liver was May 2011 - 9 months away.

If you don't live near one of their shops you can order the range online.

How often do you order food from a takeaway and would you use one like this?

Thali Cafe's Tiffin Tin

I have a bit of a history with the Thali Café. They opened round the corner a few months ago and deluged us with leaflets urging us to come in. We went, loved it and tried to go again. Whatever time we tried to book they were full.

I suggested they should set aside a few tables for walk-in customers as many restaurants do. They rather sniffily suggested I book a week ahead - for a caff, for goodness sake. So I decided to give up on them and felt very cross about the whole thing.

But then I got an urge for their fresh coriander and coconut chutney (which is amazing) and I found myself down there buying one of their multi-tier tiffin tins for a pricey £20. Which isn't as bad as it sounds as it included an initial order of a vegetable thali and subsequently you just take your container along and get it filled up. The first refill is apparently at half price but I don't know if they will remember and I can't prove I haven't been back in the meantime.

Anyway £7 for a veggie feast that's big enough for two is good in anyone's book. It currently includes - and I quote from their website - Yellow Tarka Dahl Subji (north Indian vegetables), Thoran (vegetables cooked in coconut and spices), Tomato & Tamarind chutney and Rice & Keralan Salad though the picture below, which I took a few weeks ago, seemed to include a vegetable curry. It's also much lighter, more fragrant and less oily than the average takeaway and I have to say a great way to avoid excess packaging.

So, I've found a way to get my thali fix and they've regained a customer. I still think they should set a few tables aside though . . .