Home Farm Primary School visits Rim Jhim Spice in Colchester

Year 4 pupils from Home Farm Primary School in Colchester visited Rim Jhim Spice where they were taught about Indian culture and cooking.

The restaurant’s owner, Farhana Khan, and her team of skilled chefs helped the children make their own chapatis, vegetable curry, and rice during their visit to the restaurant in Villa Road, Stanway.

The youngsters were taught about spices and cooking techniques before learning about Indian culture, dance, and music.

Expert - the children cooked under the watchful eye of the restaurant's chefs (Image: Home Farm Primary School)

Together - Lesley Scott-Boutell with the Rim Jhim Spice team (Image: Lesley Scott-Boutell)

Teacher Darren Manners said the trip was linked to the school’s objectives in geography, history, and design and technology for this year.

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Stanway councillor Lesley Scott-Boutell was invited along and said it looked like the best school trip ever.

She is working closely with the restaurant as part of the Stanway Together project, which was set up alongside Muffossir Ahmed from the restaurant – who is known locally as Hira – and other community leaders.

Five a day - a pupil making a veggie curry (Image: Home Farm Primary School)

Team - Lesley Scott-Boutell and Farhana Khan (Image: Lesley Scott-Boutell)

Lesley said: “Stanway has become a more diverse community and Stanway Together has been set up to create and enjoy a greater understanding of all the different communities.

“We can do this using food, dance and music.”

The project, which launched last year with a Christmas lights switch-on at the nearby Lakelands Centre, is supported by Colchester Council.

Listening - the pupils were taught about Indian culture (Image: Home Farm Primary School)

Little chefs - a chapati making masterclass (Image: Home Farm Primary School)

“Hira said this event made him very happy to see the enjoyment on the children’s faces and the greater understanding of a, to many, different culture,” the Lib Dem councillor added.

The restaurant was named the best Indian restaurant in the country at last year’s Curry Life Awards.

Traditional - Farhana and the team wore traditional Indian dress (Image: Home Farm Primary School)

School trip - staff from Home Farm Primary School and Rim Jhim Spice (Image: Lesley Scott-Boutell)

Following the win, Farhana thanked the restaurant’s loyal fans and dedicated the award to the Stanway community.

“We would like to thank the residents' group for your support and kind messages,” she wrote on social media.

“The award is for Stanway.”

She said winning the prestigious accolade was “the absolute icing on the cake for us and shows we have been doing it right”.