WORLD famous chef, Ken Hom, delighted fans with an Asian cooking masterclass at Leekes recently and signed copies of his latest book.
Over a hundred people watched his special wok demonstration and a lucky few who had paid for VIP positions, sipped on champagne and sampled his tasty stirfry.
During the visit, one delighted customer, Chloe Beattie, was the lucky recipient of a wok and signed Ken Hom recipe book presented by Ken.
Ken told The Melksham News, “I’m so happy to be here in Melksham and I’m looking forward to cooking for everyone.
“I don’t know what I’m going to prepare yet, I like my cooking to be spontaneous. That’s how I like people to feel when they cook my recipes at home. My recipes aren’t complicated which is important, cooking shouldn’t be stressful.”
When asked whether he has a favourite meal to cook, Ken said, “That’s difficult because my cooking changes to reflect my mood and I think that’s the same for a lot of people.”
People also came from neighbouring towns to see Ken cook. Barbara and Michael May from Chippenham explained that they often shop in Melksham and they saw that he was visiting the town. Barbara said, “When we saw that he was going to be here, we had to come along to see him. He is absolutely brilliant.
“He’s the first Chinese chef that we followed way back in the 70s. We’ve brought our first ever copy of his cook book along to be signed, it must be over 30 years old and it’s been well used. We’ve had to tape it up, it’s that old!”
Michael May added, “We love his cooking and are so pleased to be here today to watch his demonstration.”
Mike Gelder, store manager said, “It’s taken about three years to get Ken to come to the store so it’s been a lot of hard work, but the turnout proves that it’s quite a big thing for Melksham, so we’re so pleased it all worked out. He is very friendly with the customers and of course his food is incredible.
“We really wanted him to come along and do a demonstration because he’s so famous and everyone knows him. It’s great to see such a huge age range of people here today, from small children who perhaps recognise him from the television to 90-year-olds who have been cooking his recipes for many years. He’s a great chef and so many people have been following his recipes for many years.”
