MAFAZUL Huda – Maf to his friends – is a name we will be hearing much more of in southern Spain.
Thanks to his brand name ‘Mr Huda’s Surma Secret Spices’, lovers of Indian cuisine now have the chance to cook authentic Indian meals in their own kitchens, without the need to hunt down the numerous herbs and spices which form the basis of even the simplest dishes. His range of eight blended pastes, all made from fresh ingredients and naturally preserved in oil, each contain more than 20 herbs and spices to give your dish an authentic Indian flavour normally only found in restaurants.
The name comes from Maf’s own restaurant in Barton Upon Humber, Lincolnshire, which he founded with his brothers after deciding that this was the direction he wanted his life to take.
Maf arrived in England from Bangladesh at the age of three to join his father, who lived in Scunthorpe and worked for British Steel. “I was always intrigued and fascinated about food, so after leaving school I worked down south for around six years. Part of that time was spent training and later taking on management,” Maf recalls. “As well as learning the front of house job, I also did my time in the kitchens, working with some marvellous chefs. My full intention was to start my own business near my home town in Lincolnshire.”
And this he did, when the Surma Restaurant opened in 1993, but, far from resting on his laurels – the restaurant is still running most successfully -- he set about developing a range of products to broaden the culinary horizons of home cooks and the Surma Sercet Spices range was finally launched in 2006.
Maf is very loyal to Lincolnshire, a county renowned for its agriculture, and he locally sources many of the fresh herbs used in his products. He and his brothers are members of Taste of Lincolnshire and Select Lincolnshire organisations, which help to promote local produce and forge bonds between local businesses, and also advise on packaging, pricing, and liaison between businesses and prospective buyers from supermarkets.
Ironically though, one of Maf’s big UK breaks came about by accident, when a buyer from the supermarket chain Asda was shopping with his wife in a shop in nearby Brigg. He picked up one of the Surma Secret Spice pastes and after trying it out at home, telephoned Maf direct to say that Asda itself might be interested in selling the product.
Maf at first thought it was a friend playing a practical joke, and put the phone down. Only after a second call, and much convincing on the part of the buyer, did he realise that this was indeed a lucky chance and now, the range is sold in Asda stores across the North East of England.
Another break came when a prospective business partner saw a snippet on Central TV news about Maf’s success and again, after sampling the product, became convinced that Surma Secret Spices would be extremely popular further afield. And so it came to Spain: now, there are more stockists here than in the UK.
The original range -- paste for onion bajees and pakuras, universal curry paste, tikka paste, tandoori paste, tikka masala paste and kebab paste – has now been increased to eight with the launch of balti paste and mint and tamarind paste.
Plaudits are coming in thick and fast and the company has just won the ‘best ethnic product 2008’ competition for ‘Ideas to Dine For’ held at the NEC in Birmingham. Maf is justifiably proud.
“With the help of many and to the delight of our customers, I am achieving my goal of putting Mr Huda’s and Lincolnshire on the world map,” he says. “I have one thing to say which I have learned from my experience: you should always have faith and patience, and never stop chasing your dreams.”
Visit Mr Huda’s website: www.mr-hudas.es for cooking tips and mouthwatering recipes.
Testimonials
Robert Thompson, at 23 years old the youngest-ever holder of one Michelin star at the renowned Winteringham Fields Hotel, Lincs, and winner of ‘Young Chef of the Year 2005’ is an ardent fan. “Years and years of experience, a great passion for the finest ingredients and a great vision -- ‘Surma Secrets’ means you can achieve stunning results in your own home with ease. The quality of the ingredients shines through and the blending of the spices is nothing short of perfect,” he says.
Actor Disken Ashworth, whose TV credits include Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Inspector Morse, Minder, Brookside, Coronations Street and SCAB, plus films: Tess (Roman Polanski), Chariots of Fire, Wallace & Gromit - Curse of the Were Rabbit, is another: “Over the years I have dined in many, many establishments, but I always look forward to returning to The Surma. When Mr Huda released the Surma Secrets Range I was overjoyed because I can now create truly authentic Indian dishes in my own kitchen!”
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