Joanna Lumley loves Gurkhas. And so do I.
I love their crunchy texture, the tangy hit you get when you add them to a burger, their?oh, wait. Hang on. I'm thinking of gherkins. Sorry.
(consults Google)
Aha! Unlike gherkins, Gurkhas are ex-soldiers from the Indian Army’s Gorkha regiments. However, like gherkins they're now linked to the delicious world of chutneys and pickles.
Yes. Pickles.
Jo-Lu, as I've decided she should be called, has helped develop a new variant of Sharwood?s Mango Chutney (with Kashmiri chili, if you're really interested. Oh, you're not? Then never mind).
Ten whole pence from each jar will be going to the Gurkha Welfare Trust, to keep them in regimental sabres, houses, postcolonial literature and anything else they need. So that's nice.
However, Lumley goes on to proclaim that: ?The Sharwood’s chefs have helped realise my dream of creating a flavoured chutney with chili from Kashmir, where I was born.?
Gosh. Wow. That was her lifelong dream, was it? Then well done her.
I like to imagine that- when little Joanna was asked by her parents what her key goals in life were- she picked up a chili and announced:
?I have a dream. For too long, mangos and chili peppers have been cruelly segregated. One day, one fine day, I would like to see a world where little mangos and little chillis can mingle in the same jar for the benefit of all humankind. But mainly gurkhas.?
But I bet she didn't.
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Tom J says
Hi Hilary. You must be new to the spray, right? Tell me a bit about yourself.
Chris McCray says
The “Jo-Lu” notion made me laugh out loud! And then I remembered my mum getting her mixed up with Jonah Lomu, as in: “Joanna Lumley’s tearing through the English defence”.
And also: “I see Jonah Lomu’s supporting the Gurkhas, she’s looking well after that problem with his kidneys”. Quite confusing.
Hilary Wardle says
Hello Tom J! Yes, I’m fairly new to Hecklerspray. I wrote a piece called ‘St Jamie’s Academy’ a little while ago (about Jamie Oliver’s plan for a new reality show where he sets up his own school) and a ‘Top Five Tower Defence Games’ article too. I also do regular TV reviews for Watch With Mothers. My blog is http://ladyribenaberet.wordpress.com – you’ll find links to pretty much everything I’ve ever written there :)