Anjum Anand


Anjum Anand is a British food writer and TV chef of Indian cuisine.

Biography

Anjum Anand grew up in London but has also lived and studied in Geneva, Paris, and Madrid. She speaks French and Spanish, holds a degree in European business administration from the European Business School London, and for a period ran a business importing flat-pack furniture from eastern Europe. She has worked in the kitchens of hotel restaurants including at Café Spice in New York, as a waitress in Park Royal Hotel in New Delhi, and for Tommy Tang at Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles.
Her perspective on adapting healthy meals from a traditionally rich Indian diet came from personal experience of weight problems while growing up. Her diet consists of varied traditional dishes, recreated with wholesome ingredients and limited oil. At age 25 her first book Indian Every Day: Light Healthy Indian Food was published.
Anand became a regular guest on UKTV Food's Great Food Live from 2004 to 2007, and appeared in the BBC Two series Indian Food Made Easy broadcast in 2007. Her accent and flirtatious manner have led to her being dubbed "the Nigella Lawson of Indian cuisine in Britain". Reacting to descriptions of herself as "television's tastiest chef", she finds it "preposterous".
She has been a regular contributor to The Times Online food pages since 2007. She has acted as consultant chef to Birds Eye brand to develop a range of healthy Indian ready meals. In September 2008 Anand published her third recipe book Anjum's New Indian, followed by a new BBC television series in November.
In mid-2011, she launched the brand The Spice Tailor, which makes Indian sauces.

Personal life

In addition to England, Anand also owns family homes in both Delhi and Calcutta.

Published works