OUR JOURNEY
The Road From Karachi tells the remarkable true story of a family cookbook whose legacy stretched across generations. The journey began in 1987, when Riaz and Khalida Arab moved from Karachi in Pakistan to Portsmouth in the UK, where they established a successful Indian and Pakistani cookery school. To accompany their classes, they compiled their authentic family recipes into a small cookbook titled Indian Cookery Made Easy, which was only published in a small number to gift to cookery school students.
When the family later moved and the cookery school closed, the only copy they owned disappeared. Despite years of searching, Khalida was unable to find it, and the cookbook became a cherished family memory that seemed lost forever.
The story took an extraordinary turn around 30 years later. Nadia, the couple's daughter, discovered that a work colleague owned an original copy of the long-lost book. What had once been an ordinary collection of handwritten family recipes suddenly became the centrepiece of a remarkable family reunion with their past.
Nadia set out to recreate the cookbook, modernising it yet preserving her parents' original recipes for a new generation. The revived book was republished in 2021 as The Road From Karachi, combining family history with more than 50 traditional Indian and Pakistani recipes.
The cookbook became far more than a recipe collection. Nadia, alongside her mother Khalida, began teaching cookery classes, sharing the recipes with the local community and ensuring the family's culinary heritage lived on. The book also inspired collaborations with schools, restaurants and community events across Portsmouth, while proceeds have helped fund clean water projects overseas.
One of the most touching aspects of the story is how an old recipe book—once thought lost forever—became the "star of the show" decades later. What began as a practical guide for cookery students in the 1980's evolved into a symbol of family legacy, cultural heritage and community spirit.
The rediscovered book not only reunited three generations with their history but also transformed into a bestselling publication, educational resource and charitable project, proving that treasured family stories can find new life long after they seem forgotten.
