Monday 16 April 2012 Pupils from The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) have raised funds for charity with a vegetarian feast courtesy of celebrated local chef and restaurateur Hansa Dabhi. The students teamed up with Hansa’s Gujarati Vegetarian Restaurant, the award-winning eatery in Leeds, to treat fellow pupils, their families and local residents to a cookery demonstration and buffet dinner hosted at the School. Organised by GSAL’s Hindu Society to raise money for educational charity Saraswati Vidhyalaya, the event raised £2,500 to help fund the charity’s teaching programmes in India and Nepal. The money raised means that ten schools can be run for one year, with a teacher trained for each one. Shivraj Patel, one of the Student Faith Leaders at GSAL who helped to organise the event, says, “At GSAL we are extremely privileged to have access to fantastic teachers and educational facilities, but not all young people are as lucky as us which is why we wanted to combine a celebration of the Hindu faith with a fundraising activity for such a great educational cause.” Celebrated chef Hansa demonstrated how to cook a Gujarati four course meal as enjoyed by diners at her Leeds restaurant. Hansa says, “Being born in Gujarat, I have known Gujarati cooking my whole life. When I was invited to GSAL to take part in a cookery demonstration I was thrilled to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and style of cooking.” “The meal that I prepared was made from local, seasonal ingredients and based on a budget of £10 to feed a family of four, proving that vegetarian cooking doesn’t have to be expensive at all. Once bought, many of the ingredients can be used time and time again – spices in particular will see you through many a curry.” General Senior School Sixth Form News
