GUEST BLOG: CURRYING UP A STORM
We’re delighted to be working with boutique hamper makers Under Fine Wraps, who have been using our sauces and pickles in their innovative Northamptonshire Hamper for quite a while now.
So we asked founder and owner Clare Underwood to write a guest blog explaining why she’s such a fan of Punjaban. Here’s what she told us.
“We Brits just love a curry don’t we? Since the 1940s when curries as we know them first started to appear in the UK, an estimated 12,000 curry houses have opened – which is quite astonishing – and the industry is said to be worth over £4 billion. Serious business indeed.
“But we’re a nation of proud home cooks too and in recent years most of us have become pretty adept at knocking up a decent curry at home. And for me, that means reaching for Punjaban sauces because they are absolutely fantastic.
“Not only are they delicious, they’re made from all natural ingredients with no nasty colourings or E numbers and while that is really important to me when cooking at home, it’s essential in my business. When I launched Under Fine Wraps I always said I would never put anything in a hamper that I wasn’t prepared to eat myself, or give to my family.
“So in creating one of my very first county-themed hampers, the Northamptonshire Hamper, when looking for locally-sourced exceptional produce I thought Punjaban’s mild Authentic Curry Base sauce and Pilau Rice kit were a must-have.
“Since then, as our business has grown, we’ve included Punjaban produce is several new hampers, especially our new range of ‘man-hampers’, or ‘Manpers®’ as we like to call them, which feature carefully selected, award-winning beers, fine foods and mouthwatering treats designed primarily for men (although not exclusively, of course).
“We say that our Manpers® make the perfect gift for foodies who have everything (or almost!), men who can be notoriously difficult to buy for because they have everything (or almost!) and for men who enjoy spicy cuisine and like to cook. Our curry and beer hampers come in a choice of mild, medium or hot packages and include a range of Punjaban sauces from the gorgeous Butter Chicken to the fiery Naga Chilli Curry Base, as well as the super-tangy lime pickle or cooling mango chutney and of course rice and naan breads.
“Every product we select is thoroughly trialled before it is added to a hamper. Not only by us, also by some of the UK’s top food and drink connoisseurs. So the success we’ve had with our curry and beer hampers is all down to a winning combination of great ales and Punjaban – whose authenticity, taste and all-round deliciousness is second to none, in my opinion.”
Under Fine Wraps is a business based in the heart of Rutland. Founded by lovers of quality products, food and wine, Clare Underwood has turned a personal passion into a lovely business. Try Punjaban products with other goodies in her range of hampers at www.underfinewraps.co.uk