We love our jobs most days, but there are some days that we
love even more than most! And the day that we visited Kay Wadud from Perfect
Samosa – the brains behind the most mind-blowingly delicious artisan samosa was one of those days! Kay has just moved into a commercial kitchen and the W.O team thought this would be a great time to pay her a visit,
and maybe sample a samosa or two…
The idea behind Perfect Samosa is to create a samosa with a
twist and the fantastic ideas just keep coming! On Kay’s menu so far you can
try; Bengali lamb with Sweet Potato infused in
Cinnamon - ,AND wait
for this…A full English samosa, and the one we’ve all been waiting for – a
Nutella fudge brownie samosa! Yes, our mouths are watering just typing this!
Kay launched Perfect Samosa in January 2016 and from there
it’s just snowballed – and we’re sure it’s because of the amazing, creative and
delicious samosa’s that Kay and her team are creating! Kay told us; ‘I had no idea when I started it that this
would happen. I knew that they were things that people loved but I never
dreamed it would grow this fast.’ Within 9 months, Kay has moved from her
utility room into purpose-built kitchens and is quickly building up a client
basis across the North-West of the country.
Prior to setting up her own business Kay was a Police
Officer and lived in Bedfordshire, before moving to Merseyside and working as a
Business Analyst looking at Wirral Council’s digital strategies. ‘When my last contract came to an end I
decided that I just needed a change. I knew I was employable but I kept
thinking – what is it that I want to do? And making food, making people happy
with food has always been a passion of mine!’
Once Kay had decided that she would take a leap into the
unknown, she got in touch with The Women’s Organisation and began working
closely with Business Adviser John Jones and Training Coordinator Bernie Cox,
attending our courses and workshops and receiving ongoing support with her
business plan. Kay has built up a close relationship with John and Bernie and
has plenty of nice things to say about the advice and guidance that she’s
received!
‘Bernie has been
tremendous! When we first came we were taken aback by her Planning for Success
course because it was so good! And John has been great – he’s been helping us with
the numbers because he’s good at those! John is also there to bounce ideas off
of, he’s been a fantastic help to us which I’m grateful for.’
Things have really started to get exciting for Kay in the
last couple of months after they were crowned BBC Good Food Show Champions.
Kay’s daughter and Co-Founder, Sanya told us; ‘BBC Good Food Show Champions are showcased
in an exclusive area of each Good Food Show enabling them to gain a unique
platform in front of thousands of food enthusiasts, industry experts and chefs
to celebrate and escalate their business.’ After visiting the London
studios and cooking for the BBC Good Food staff and producers, Perfect Samosa
were named Champions!
‘As this year’s
Champions we are invited to attend all of the BBC Good Food Shows this year
across the UK to events where celebrity chefs, top brands in food, other
world-class producers and around 90,000 foodies (per event) attend in search of
the next great thing in food.’ (You can check out Sunya’s full blog on this
here!)
The unique part of Perfect Samosa is just how fresh every
single element is! Whilst we were visiting Kay’s kitchen she was preparing her
butternut squash and coriander samosa and told us; ‘I’ve brought everything fresh this morning, from the lamb to the vegetables
and now we make it. After this it’s gets fried and then we package them and
deliver them all over.’
Looking to the future of the business, Kay is focussing her
energies on finding new contracts and leads and is looking forward to being
able to employ a member of staff to help with the cooking. ‘I can get caught up in the operations side of things, so I want to get
a bit more smart and have some help with the laborious side which is the
cooking.’ – Already Perfect Samosa has contracts with Knowsley Council,
Cheese & Co and various Farm Shops across the North West, and they have
been visiting Farmer’s Markets and festivals all throughout the summer!
So, if you’d like to get your hands on the Perfect Samosa,
and believe us, you do! Check out where Kay and her team are going to be next
on Facebook and Instagram and on and take a look at their website if you’d like to
get in touch!
If you've been inspired by Kay's story and would like some support and advice starting your own business, then get in touch with us! Email us on hello@thewo.org.uk or ring us on 0151 706 8111
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