Pickles fortune cooked up in the kitchen

In 1956 Laxmishanker Pathak and his wife Shantagaury came to Britain seeking the chance to carve themselves a better future. Refugees of Mau Mau terror attacks in Kenya, the couple had fled in fear for their lives, and those of their six children.

The Pathaks arrived in London with only £5 and turned to their native cuisine as a way out of poverty. But ultimately it would set the children at each other's throats.

On arriving in London Mr Pathak began making samosas and pakoras in his Kentish Town kitchen and

eventually saved enough to buy his first shop.

Soon he was branching out into chutneys and pickles. As the business grew it began taking orders from shops, companies and restaurants as well as individual households. Even the Indian High Commission placed orders.

Kirit, now 51, began to work for the family business at the age of six as an errand boy. His English was so poor he would be given two notes, one with the address he was delivering food to, the other with his home address. Years later he said: "We showed the bus driver the note in our left pocket to go and the note in our right to come back."

He went to Gospel Oak school in Hampstead and Banbury Technical College, taking over from his father as company chief executive and chairman in 1974.

In 1976, on a business trip to India, Kirit met his future wife Meena, who became the creative force behind the rapidly expanding company.

A former model who now writes books and appears regularly on TV and radio, Mrs Pathak, 47, continues to develop recipes based on her family's traditional methods.

Two years ago a new £12million Patak's factory was opened in Wigan as the empire continued to grow. Cherie Blair was Kirit and Meena Pathaks' guest of honour at the opening.

The Pathaks - whose website says their recipes are "a very closely guarded secret which are known only to the family" - now claim their range of spices, breads, chutneys, relishes and sweets is used by an estimated 90 per cent of Asian restaurants in Britain and they export to 40 countries.