Celebrating 40 years in village
Cookham: Spice Merchant toasts milestone
A popular Indian restaurant is celebrating 40 years in Cookham.
The family-owned independent chain, Spice Merchant opened its first venue on Cookham High Street in 1982.
Originally named Cookham Tandoori, it was the only Indian restaurant in the village in the early 1980s.
Owners, Bashir and Aysha
Islam hosted a celebratory event on Wednesday, May 10 with champagne, canapes and dancing to mark the anniversary.
Aysha said: “We invited all the local people who live in Cookham High Street who are here all the time, and we thanked them for their support because without them, we wouldn’t be here.”
Jay Kumar and his team, Dance Asia, provided Bollywood dancing entertainment for more than 100 guests on the night.
Bashir, 67, said: “When you’re in the restaurant business, you cannot do it just for the money. You need a passion for it.
“The team I work with aren’t just staff, they’re more like family.
“We could have retired a long time ago, but I’m still enjoying serving people.”
Bashir has been in the restaurant business since 1976, when he moved to the UK from Bangladesh.
Aysha said: “My dad’s always been in the restaurant business and my husband used to work for him, and that’s how we met in Uxbridge in 1977.”
The couple were married in 1980 and have three children who support the business.
Aysha, 60, predominantly works in the Beaconsfield branch because the premises was
formerly her dad’s second restaurant, Tropical Curry.
After his retirement, Aysha and Bashir bought the restaurant and launched their second flagship location, Spice Merchant Beaconsfield.
Bashir and Aysha renamed the Cookham Tandoori to launch their Spice Merchant restaurant chain.
Bashir said: “In the 80s, the cuisine was very popular. We never thought it would be that popular.”
Spice Merchant Beaconsfield and Spice Merchant Henley are 34 and 18 years old respectively.
Between the three restaurants, Spice Merchant employs 30 people and has chefs from all over India and Bangladesh.
In 2017, their daughter, Jasmin launched an Indianised afternoon tea menu, featuring scones, samosas and a ‘Bombay’ mess.
In recent months, their second daughter, Sabina created an Indianised charcuterie ‘grazing’ board named ‘Chaat-cuterie’ that has been popular at events.
Aysha said: “Cookham is such a beautiful village, I don’t think it’s changed a lot. The roads are busier, the people come and go, and restaurants have changed ownership several times but we haven’t.
“We’ve had customers coming in since day one that still support us 40 years later.”
“We have the best customers and that’s what has kept us going.”