‘FOOD IS celebratory’

When she retired, Shashi Aggarwal, 69, from Walsall, decided to channel her decades of cooking experience into what became a hugely successful food venture. Here, she shares her story

It’s never too late to follow your dreams. Increasingly, many of us are using retirement as an opportunity to start new ventures, with the number of self-employed people aged 65 and over having more than doubled over the past five years*.

Inspired by this entrepreneurial spirit of reinvention, we spoke to Shashi Aggarwal, co-founder of the award-winning Spice Kitchen (spicekitchenuk.com). After years of cooking for friends and family as a hobby, retiring enabled her to pursue her passion professionally, alongside her son Sanjay. ‘Food was a huge part of my childhood,’ says Shashi,

who was born in Kenya and grew up in India. ‘We always had lots of family visiting, and my mum would cook.’

One of nine children, Shashi was taught to make dishes from an early age, starting with simple tasks like rolling dough. ‘By the time I was in my teens, we were doing most of the cooking, with Mum overseeing,’ she remembers. ‘It was fun and celebratory.’

Shashi got married in 1971 and a year later she and her husband Ashok moved to the UK. ‘It was a busy time,’ she says. ‘We had three children, Sunil, Sanjay and Meera; we ran a shop, and I would be cooking, experimenting with French, Mexican and Italian dishes alongside the Indian food I’d grown up with. Like Mum, I would give my children tasks to do, so I could pass on my knowledge.’

When the couple retired, they travelled everywhere from New Zealand to Thailand and Sri Lanka.

‘It was lovely, but by Christmas 2012 I was craving a project,’ admits Shashi. ‘Sanjay said, “You’ve always loved cooking, so what about that?’’’

The idea behind the business was to empower people to cook more flavoursome food. ‘We wanted it to feel personal, so alongside kits with traditional spice tins and hand-ground spices, we created a recipe guide for our favourite dishes and I sewed covers from silk saris,’ says Shashi.

Sanjay set up a website, then the BBC Good Food Show offered them a free stall. ‘We went to more trade shows and our business grew,’ recalls Shashi. ‘We’ve won Great Taste Awards and even appeared on

The Hairy Bikers’ Comfort Food, which was such fun.’

Taking this journey with her son has made it even more special for Shashi. ‘We work well together,’ she explains. ‘I focus on the creative parts, coming up with new blends, while he loves the business side, managing staff and strategy.’

Shashi still cooks every day. ‘I find it relaxing and like using my skills. I even get my grandkids involved, encouraging them to experiment so they’ll grow up with the confidence Mum instilled in me. I love sharing what I’ve learned and following my passion. From that beginning, you can’t go wrong.’

We wanted it to feel personal, so we created a recipe guide for our favourite dishes

I love sharing what I’ve learned and following my passion. From that, you can’t go wrong