'My family runs one of UK's oldest curry houses since we came here in the 1950s'

18 August 2023 , 09:13

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Mohammed Latif, who runs one of Bradford's oldest curry houses after his brother came to Britain from Pakistan in 1950 (Image: NB PRESS LTD)

It was the year Queen Elizabeth took the throne and WInston Churchill was still in Downing Street.

But it was also the year one of Britain's first curry houses set up shop. Bradford's Kashmir opened its doors back in 1952 when Mohammed Bashir moved to the UK along with hundreds of others from Pakistan following World War II.

More than 70 years on it continues to serve home-cooked Kashmiri food - now run by Mr Bashir's younger brother, Mohammed Latif. In a bustling and frenetic city, it has stood the test of time and is officially the oldest curry house in Bradford - a destination famed for its South Asian cuisine.

Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Latif described the changes he's seen in his city over the decades and how his family's business still brings back people who began visiting decades ago. "Our sign says '1958 - but we officially opened in 1952," he explained.

'My family runs one of UK's oldest curry houses since we came here in the 1950s' eiqdiqteiqukinv

Mr Latif took the restaurant over from his brother in 1970 and has run it ever since (NB PRESS LTD)

"When my brother moved here from the Kashmir region, he realised other people from Pakistan needed somewhere to go to experience food from home. At that time, most of the people were working in the mills and there was nowhere to go and socialise out of work."

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Mr Latif, now 70, was still a student when he followed his brother's footsteps and moved to Bradford in 1970. He took over the restaurant later that year after starting work in the kitchens, with Mr Bashir - now 90 and in his retirement - moving into the cash and carry business.

"Back then, we had just three things on the menu - keema mild, madras and vindaloo. It cost 70p. Things have changed a lot since then as more people started coming.

"We still serve some of the same people who would come in when I started working here," Mr Latif added. "Only last night, one man came in from Bradford who lives abroad and says he always comes back to Kashmir when he is back.

'My family runs one of UK's oldest curry houses since we came here in the 1950s'

Kashmir had just three things on the menu when it first opened in the 1950s (NB PRESS LTD)

"We had a group of people in for Pride recently and all five live in different countries all over the world. They said, 'we were students in Bradford and used to come here on a regular basis - whenever we come to see each other we come to Kashmir'."

Mr Latif shared stories of his family's business with The Mirror as part of South Asian Heritage Month, which runs every year from July 18 to August 17. The month seeks to understand the diverse heritage and cultures that continue to link the UK with South Asia.

Hoping to pass the restaurant on to his own younger family some day - although with no current plans on retiring - told of how life used to be first moving to Bradford in the 1970s. While racism, he said, was not as bad as life for Pakistani people resettling in the 1950s, neither was life easy.

Mirror journalist Susie Beever visiting Bradford's famous Kashmir restaurant (NB PRESS LTD)

"I remember people throwing chapattis," he said. "Things aren't like that now." With many people in Bradford unfamiliar with Pakistani and Indian food at the time, many locals would "put their hands up to their nose" walking past at the time.

Bradford is one of the UK's most culturally-diverse cities outside of London, with nearly 2 in 5 of its residents coming from non-white backgrounds, according to 2021 Census data. It has also been awarded City of Culture status for 2025.

Kashmir has justifiably cemented it as being Britain's Curry Capital attracting foodie tourists and even the likes of celebrities. In January 2020, Dame Helen Mirren described the city as "the one and only" with "its own magic" as filmed there on location with actor Jim Broadbent for The Duke.

Mr Latif added: "We are in the third generation now. Some people have been coming to my restaurant for 40 years. We cater for people's weddings, and later their funerals."