School fair favourite makes mums thousands

A couple of mums whose homemade curries went down a storm whenever they made it for school events, are this week celebrating the launch of their own food company. Bombay Authentics is the brainchild of friends Maria Hellyer and Patricia Forbes who first started out making sauces on Patricia's Aga. The recipes themselves were passed down by Patricia's great-grandmother and the end result can now be found in your local Waitrose.

'I originally found the recipes in a little exercise book that belonged to my granny,' Patricia explains. 'The book turned up in her belongings and I brought it to England with me when I moved here in the ‘70s.'

One of the first shows we did was a two day Christmas Fair at a local public school, says Maria. We sold out in three hours.' The two mums soon realised they had the starting of a great business on their hands and signed a six-figure deal to bring the sauces into Waitrose supermarkets.

'We knew the products would appeal to other busy mums like us, who want something quick and easy to cook with a homemade feel,' says Maria.

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