Hi All,

I called myself "Hopeful", because that's what I am. I'm 61 years old, retired, and one of my passtimes is cooking...anything.

I started enjoying curry in my late teens, you know the scenario... a night out with boys in the boozer, followed by a curry in the local "Indian". I loved that brown curry sauce they used to serve. Not what you would call "authentic" these days. In fact, no matter what you ordered, it all looked the same!. Of course the various menu choices tasted a bit different from each other, depending how "hot" you wanted it.

You could even buy it in a tin, in later years. Veeraswami's was my favourite brand, but there were others, all with that classic taste, texture and aroma.

But sadly, things have changed. Go to an Indian restaurant these days, and apart from a bewildering array of choices, nothing tastes the same. Even the old favourites like Madras or Vindaloo, are different and in may view, not as good. I know I risk being called a philistine, by the purists, but I don't care. I've read loads of books, tried loads of recipes, and none of them come anywhere near

My quest is to re-create that "old-fashioned" BIR style curry sauce of the '60s and '70s in my kitchen at home.

Someone, somewhere must be harbouring the secret of that sauce. So where can I find it, and how do I cook it.

As I said, I'm "Hopeful"!