The Morden Park Fun Day, held on Sunday 22 July as part of the myRaynesPark festival, truly lived up to its expectations. The glorious weather helped draw in not just locals but also visitors from abroad, many of whom were in London for the 2012 Olympics.

When I was contacted by the organiser of the event, Derek Hermann, to provide catering for the Morden Park Fun Day, I was warned that a crowd of over 800 was expected to turn up with a minimum of 400 heads to cater for. Although there was to be at least one other caterer, there was much anticipation for Najma's Meatballs which had already been a sell out at the Malden Fortnight earlier in the summer. Together with our fusion Indian Chicken Curry offering, Najma's was set to be the main food attraction for event.

And sure enough, we were not to be disappointed. Even as we set up our stall by the bandstand, eager customers lining up for their first box of curry and rice. As the afternoon proceeded with a talented line up of performances on stage, the familiar fragrance of basmati rice cooking on our stoves began to fill the air. Passers by were immediately drawn to our stall, only to exclaim with delight at the sight of Najma’s Meatballs and Chicken Curry sitting temptingly on our chafing dishes keeping warm. What ensued was a continuous stream of customers from 3 till 8 pm where Najma’s Team worked in perfect synch pouring and reheating curries and cooking pan after pan of fresh rice.

We had a most appreciative crowd, many of our customers making instant recommendations to their family and friends; some even returning for seconds! By 8pm, as the evening began to wind down, we were overwhelmed with our day’s takings and were proud to be able to donate ten percent of our sales to the organisers.

Najma’s would like to thank Derrek for such a wonderful opportunity and of course, Mark Williamson, organiser of myRaynesParkFestival, who recommended us following our attendance at the Dundonald Park Fun Day.

Based on information supplied by Shermin Ali.