‘Here we have a unique record of one British family who left the Highlands for Indiawhose recipes are naturally fascinating…’ - Sir Mark Tully KBE, former Bureau Chief of BBC, New Delhi In 1823, Bryony Hill’s 4 x great-grandfather was posted to India as Commander of the Madras Artillery in the employ of King George IV. Six subsequent generations were born in India and spent the next 125 years meticulously recording life as it was before and during the high noon of the Raj.
A highlight of these historic documents is the treasure trove of wonderful recipes recorded along with her 2 x great and 3x great grandmothers from the mid-1800s, now carefully curated and presented in An Indian Table. Bursting with curries, pilafs, souffles, pies and puddings, this marvellous Anglo-Indian medley of cuisines reflects the challenging conditions Bryony’s family lived through, skilfully highlighting how food has always played an intrinsic role in both British and Indian culture.
AUTHOR: Bryony Hill was born and educated in Sussex and after a year at Brighton College of Art, she spent four years in France after which, on returning to England, she met and eventually married the television sports presenter Jimmy Hill. Her tenth book
An Indian Table
is inspired by Scotland to Shalimar
a Family’s Life in India, which followed the lives of her mother’s family six generations of whom were born in India. Apart from writing Bryony is a keen gardener, painter and cook and, when she came across a collection of her great-great grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s recipes, the seed was sown to dig deep into her ancestors’ history and lives.