The Soldiers’ Charity: Big Curry Lunch

It’s been a long time since we had a war that really touched ordinary Brits; a war that threatened us on our home ground. More than 60 years, in fact.  So perhaps it’s easier now than it was back then for people to feel disconnected to our armed forces; out of sight is out of mind. The arenas of war in which our military fight now are far removed and unfamiliar; we see them daily on the TV and in the papers, but it’s hard to really understand what our soldiers are doing, why they are doing it and what they are going through, on our behalf.

But whatever you think about the rights, wrongs or justifications of any given military action; what you think the role of our military ought to be; your opinions on the global socio-economic-political environment in which we (and our military) operate and the best ways to make the world a safer place… none of this should stop you from being thankful to the men and women who put their lives on the line because our country asks them to.

I can’t imagine the life of a soldier, in combat or not.

Nor can I imagine what it’s like, for both serving and retired soldiers (and their families), to discover that your country is unwilling or unable to give you all the support you need during and after your time of service.

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity is there to fill that gap, whether it’s financial assistance when in need; help in organising and funding training, education and support to secure employment after leaving the army; practical (and emotional) help in adapting to physical disability, including modifications to homes and transport; top up grants to cover the costs of care homes for elderly veterans…

 
Great Hall, Royal Hospital Chelsea; Dan, with whom we shared a wonderful chat over lunch

Last month, I was privileged to attend an event to launch ABF The Soldiers’ Charity Big Curry, the charity’s now annual fundraising campaign which invites supporters to host their own Big Curry events across the UK, to help raise money for the charity. The launch event saw an eclectic group of professional chefs, food writers, bloggers and random celebrities attend a wonderful Big Curry lunch with the Chelsea Pensioners. Cooked by Gurkha master chef Pemba Lama (author of The Ultimate Nepalese Cookbook), the feast was served in the Great Hall at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

It was an enormous pleasure to take our places amongst the pensioners and join them for this lunch. I was also delighted to meet Pemba Lama and his publisher Annie Watsham, having posted a review of The Ultimate Nepalese Cook Book, sales of which support the Gurkha Welfare Trust .

The Soldiers’ Charity has been supporting our soldiers and their families since 1944. If you’d like to step forward and help them with their work, read more about how you can contribute, here.

If you’re thinking of cooking a big curry feast at home, here are some menu planning tips from Mamta’s Kitchen.