Exporters curry favour with ex-pats

You know the feeling – after a couple of weeks on foreign shores you are yearning for a taste of home.

Black Country curry king Mister Daves is capitalising on that far-away food craving. The Dudley-based firm, which supplies frozen baltis to restaurants, pubs and shops up and down Britain, is shipping out his Bostin' Baltis all the way to ex-pats living and Brits holidaying in the south of France.

And the spicy dishes are going down a treat.

Ted and Carol Jew, who used to run Express Valve Services in Dudley Road, Brierley Hill, split their retirement years between England and France spending six months in each country.

Their stays on the continent had left them longing for a curry – until they discovered dishes cooked up in Dudley were being delivered just down the road from their doorstep in the Dordogne.

Father-of-three Mr Jew, aged 71, said: "A friend of ours was at Exeter Airport and picked up a leaflet advertising these Bostin' Baltis and brought it back over to us.

"We went to Bergerac and bought 18 of them for a dinner party. We had a selection of everything and they were excellent. I'm going down next week for some more.

"We think it's a great idea. We really do miss our curries when we're over here especially for a six-month stretch." Grandmother-of-seven Mrs Jew, aged 68, added: "We do love the local cuisine but sometimes you do just think, 'I'd love a takeaway'.

Mister Daves owner Dave Homer, aged 56, was the first to open a balti house in Lye, Stourbridge 25 years ago. Set up in a small cafe, Mister Daves soon began attracting thousands of diners from around the region and led to a balti boom in Lye High Street.

He went on to open another three restaurants in Kingswinford, Telford and Worcester, which have now closed.

The curry king now employs his older brother Alan, 61, 26-year-old son Richard, and two other staff at his factory in Parkway Road, Dudley to prepare and freeze the Bostin' Baltis. The dishes have been crossing the Channel for the last six months.

Mr Homer said: "This is fantastic news that somebody has got in touch and said how much they like our export curries.

"Hopefully trade will continue to grow."