Urvashi Roe discusses her new cookbook and gives top tips
Brand new cookbook Biting Biting – Snacking Gujarati-style celebrates an old family tradition of being able to quickly whip up food for impending visitors or last-minute unannounced guests.
Working mother Urvashi Roe has come up with a sumptuous book loaded with delicious recipes that modernise and simplify much-loved Gujarati dishes, ranging from quick snacks to drinks. She also tells the history behind the many quick and easy-to-follow recipes in the essential kitchen companion. This book is the latest offering from a British powerhouse, who is currently a global director at KPMG, was a quarter-finalist on Great British Bake Off and has run successful businesses.
She discussed her new book with Eastern Eye and gave some top cooking tips.
What first connected you to cooking?
I started cooking when I was still at primary school. Mum taught me to make basic shaak and rotli. I still have the same velun (rolling pin).
What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to capture our Gujarati ethos of hospitality. This is a characteristic which is embedded in all of us from such a young age. I don’t remember ever visiting family without food being the centrepiece of conversations. I also wanted to share our ethos of sustainability. In my family, we never waste anything. Even the smallest portions of leftovers can be turned into another meal by adding a little of this or that. This is so important in today’s society.
Tell us about your book Biting Biting – Snacking Gujarati-style?
The book is a tribute to snacking – a selection of easy recipes that you can rustle up with leftovers or key store cupboard ingredients. The recipes are mostly Gujarati but simplified for the busy lives we lead today.
How important was it for you to tell your own story in the book before sharing the recipes?
Very important. I am an immigrant of immigrants. Like many Gujaratis, my grandparents were native to India but travelled and settled in Tanzania, and then onwards to the UK in search of a better life. It is this rich history that has evolved and shaped the food I eat today. I believe you don’t really know who you are unless you know where you come from.
How did you select your various recipes?
I just included all my favourites like kichee, shrikhand and mithi sev. Then I wanted to pay tribute to my family and friends, and honour the good times we had together, with (food like) pau bhaji, seero and bhajia. I also wanted to include the east meets west type recipes I have enjoyed with my English husband such as cheese and chevro sandwiches, tomato onion shaak on hummus, and vaghareli pasta. Finally, I wanted to make sure I included really simplified versions of Gujarati classics like rotli, kachori, dhokra and burfi.
Do you have a favourite dish in the book?
Yes. I am a huge fan of shrikhand. I had this at my pre-engagement celebration, engagement, wedding, and baby shower. Every important occasion. But I never have time to make it the traditional way, so my fatafat shrikhand is a favourite dish in the book. I can make it quickly whenever I fancy, and it tastes just like the one my daya fai makes.
Which section did you enjoy writing most?
Shaak. This is such an essential part of Gujarati cuisine, and you can get really creative once you know the basics. I really enjoyed sharing the different types of shaak we have and how you can create so many different combinations – plain, raso-varu and akhu shaak, among others.
How important is it to learn about spices?
I think many people are put off by Indian cooking because the list of spices can be endless and daunting. I hope my masala dablo gives people a view of the bare minimum list of spices, so they can stick to these basics at first. Then I hope the variations I have given help them to build confidence, adding other spices that suit their taste.
What is your top cooking tip?
Invest in a good wok with a lid. I know it’s not traditional Gujarati equipment, but I make almost everything in mine – from dhokra and rotli to bhajia and burfi. Everything.
Is there a tip you would give beginners?
I would say start by exactly following the recipe a few times. Then experiment and adapt to really make the recipe something that is tailored to you, and your tastes.
How much has your upbringing shaped your cooking and dishes shared in the book?
Hugely. I am a confident cook because instead of letting me eat ‘ghasiya’ (rubbish), my mum pushed me to learn how to cook from a young age and taught me never to waste. We didn’t have much when we first arrived in England, but we always ate freshly made food. I also learned a lot through relatives like my masis, kakis and didis because, throughout my upbringing, I have been surrounded by extended family. The dishes in the book are a tribute to that extended family culture.
What do you love most about Gujarati cuisine?
Gujarati cuisine is simpler compared to other Indian regional cuisines.
What inspires you?
My daughters. Seeing life through their eyes and seeing how they strive to retain a sense of being Gujarati in today’s modern Britain is a huge sense of inspiration for me. They make me very proud.
Why should we pick up the book?
Because everybody needs some Biting Biting inspiration. My book is full of ideas, big and small, which you can rustle up when your sassu (mother-in-law) calls and says she is coming over in half an hour. Don’t panic. Pick up my book and take a look at what tasty treats you can rustle up.
Biting Biting – Snacking Gujarati-style by Urvashi Roe, £20 is published by Kitchen Press (www.kitchenpress.co.uk). www.urvashiroe.com and Instagram: @urvashiroe
Eli Lilly had announced a steep price rise of up to 170% for Mounjaro.
A new discount deal with UK suppliers will limit the increase for patients.
Pharmacies will still apply a mark-up, but consumer costs are expected to rise less than initially feared.
NHS pricing remains unaffected due to separate arrangements.
Eli Lilly has agreed a discounted supply deal for its weight-loss drug Mounjaro, easing fears of a sharp rise in costs for UK patients. The new arrangement means that, from September, pharmacies and private services will face smaller wholesale increases than first expected, limiting the impact on consumers.
Why the price rise was announced
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly said it would raise Mounjaro’s list price by as much as 170%, which could have pushed the highest monthly dose from £122 to £330. The company argued that UK pricing needed to align more closely with higher costs in Europe and the United States.
Discount deal for UK suppliers
The revised agreement will see the top-dose price set at £247.50 for suppliers. While pharmacies and private providers will still add their own margins, the increase for patients is now likely to remain under 50% for higher doses, and even lower for smaller doses.
Eli Lilly confirmed:
“We are working with private providers on commercial arrangements to maintain affordability and expect these to be passed onto patients when the change is effective on 1 September.”
Impact on consumers
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are currently on weight-loss drugs, with more than half using Mounjaro. Most of these patients—around 90%—pay privately through online services or high street pharmacies.
Prices vary between providers, depending on the level of lifestyle and dietary support offered alongside the injections.
Olivier Picard of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“This rebate will mitigate some of the impact of the increase, but patients should still anticipate seeing a rise in prices from 1 September.”
NHS pricing unchanged
The deal does not affect the NHS, which has secured its own heavily-discounted price for patients prescribed the weekly injection.
Mounjaro works by helping patients feel fuller for longer, reducing food intake and supporting weight loss of up to 20% of body weight.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
WHEN broadcaster and journalist Naga Munchetty began speaking openly about her experiences with adenomyosis and debilitating menstrual pain, the response was overwhelming.
Emails and messages poured in from women who had endured years of dismissal, silence and shame when it came to their health. That outpouring became the driving force behind her new book, It’s Probably Nothing, which calls for women to be heard and to advocate for themselves in a medical system that has too often ignored them.
“For so long, so many women haven’t been listened to by the world of medicine,” Munchetty said. “I knew this from my own experience of not being given adequate pain relief, or waiting years for a diagnosis. My motivation was to help women and people who love women to advocate better for women’s health.”
The book blends Munchetty’s personal journey with the voices of other women who have faced similar struggles, alongside expert insights from medical professionals. Its purpose, she said, is clear: to empower people to fight for their health.
“We need to be unafraid of saying how we have been weakened by our symptoms,” the BBC presenter said.
“Too often, we try to keep afloat, keep our head above water, but we don’t want to seem weak. That needs to change.”
Munchetty’s candour is striking. She describes the shame of being told her excruciating periods were “just normal,” leaving her to feel weak and whiny for struggling.
“You might as well have told me people have heart attacks while I’m having a heart attack,” she said. “Debilitating pain is serious — it may not be lifelimiting, but it is life-impacting.”
Her determination to challenge that culture led to her giving evidence in parliament, contributing to what became a Women and Equalities Committee report, published in December 2024.
The report made headlines for its stark conclusion: medical misogyny exists.
For Munchetty, seeing that phrase in black and white was transformative. “It was almost self-affirming,” she said. “We now know it’s there, so we can challenge it. Women can say: I know my body, I know there’s not enough research, and I am entitled to push for answers.”
The parliamentary report went further than acknowledgement. It called for ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs, better training for GPs, and greater investment in research into reproductive conditions like adenomyosis and endometriosis.
It highlighted how symptoms are routinely dismissed as “normal,” delaying diagnosis and disrupting women’s careers, education and daily lives. Munchetty wrote in her book — referencing the report — that medical misogyny is not about blaming individual doctors, but about challenging a system built on insufficient research into women’s bodies.
“It gives women the language and the confidence to not just be heard, but to insist on being taken seriously,” she wrote.
Her book also tackles the additional barriers faced by women from minority communities, who may be discouraged by stigma or embarrassment from speaking about menstruation or menopause. To them, Munchetty has a clear message: “You are so much more valuable than you realise. If you don’t prioritise your health, you are lessening your ability to hold up everyone around you.”
Those featured in the book are friends, colleagues, charities and everyday women who contributed their stories, many for the first time. “I was surprised at how many friends are in that book with such powerful experiences,” Munchetty said.
“It told me all the more that we’re not speaking about it, and that it is sadly so very common.”
At a launch event for the book, contributors, family and experts filled the room with what Munchetty describes as an “electric and inspiring atmosphere.”
She said, “It was full of joy, of women who felt safe to speak up and be heard. This is not a whiny book — it’s a positive book. People felt they were part of making things better, part of this women’s health revolution.”
For Munchetty, writing the book was exhausting, but transformative, she said.
“I never thought I’d be an author. I’m a journalist. But this is journalism — facilitating people’s stories to be told powerfully and truthfully. People trusted me, and I’m proud of that.”
And Munchetty’s aim is for the book to be a tool for change: arming women with the language, confidence and strategies to advocate for their health.
“It’s not easy to admit you need help, and it’s not instinctive for women to prioritise themselves,” she said. “But this book will help you do that. It’s the silent friend who has your back and gives you strength.”
It’s Probably Nothing - Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis is now available in all good bookshops
The Shree Kunj Bihari Vrindavan (UK) Temple has officially launched its project to establish a grand home for Shree Banke Bihari in London.
The inaugural event, held in Harrow from 4 pm, featured devotional chants, the Deep Pragtya ceremony, and a presentation outlining the temple’s vision. Speaking at the gathering, Shalini Bhargava described the planned temple as “a spiritual home promoting bhakti, unity and seva for generations to come.”
Several dignitaries were honoured at the ceremony, including Cllr Anjana Patel, Mayor of Harrow; Anuradha Pandey, Hindi and Cultural Attaché at the High Commission of India; Kamakshi Jani of the Royal Navy; Councillors Janet Mote, Nitin Parikh and Mina Parmar; Krishnaben Pujara, Chairperson of ALL UK; and Truptiben Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
Organisers said the launch marks the beginning of a new spiritual and cultural hub for London’s Hindu community, offering a centre for devotion, learning and community service.
Martin Dickie has announced his departure from BrewDog and the alcohol industry.
He co-founded the Ellon-based brewer with James Watt in 2007.
Dickie cited family time and personal reasons for his exit.
His departure follows recent bar closures as part of a company restructuring.
BrewDog confirmed no further leadership changes will follow.
BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie has announced he is leaving the Scottish brewer and the wider alcohol industry for “personal reasons.” Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based business with James Watt in 2007, said he wanted to spend more time with his family after more than two decades in brewing and distilling.
Early beginnings
Dickie and Watt launched BrewDog at the age of 24, starting from a garage in Fraserburgh and selling hand-filled bottles from a van at local markets. The company grew rapidly to become one of the UK’s best-known craft brewers.
Leadership changes
James Watt stepped down as chief executive last year after 17 years in the role, moving into a non-executive position as “captain and co-founder.” Dickie’s exit marks another major shift in the company’s founding leadership.
Dickie’s statement
“Leaving BrewDog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family,” Dickie said. He added: “It has been an honour to have worked with incredible, like-minded colleagues who live in a world of flavour and experimentation. In James Taylor and Lauren Carrol, BrewDog is in very strong hands and I will always remain a massive fan.”
Company response
BrewDog chief executive James Taylor praised Dickie’s contribution, highlighting his focus on product quality, workplace safety, sustainable supplier relationships, and new product development. “Martin’s contributions to BrewDog have been immeasurable,” Taylor said. “His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry.”
Recent challenges
The announcement comes a month after BrewDog closed ten of its bars, including its flagship Aberdeen Gallowgate site and a Dundee outlet, citing commercial unviability. The company stressed that Dickie’s departure will not result in further leadership changes.