Great Curry Cook Off

Full Biography

Great Curry Cook Off

Swap the boardroom for the spice table with Great Curry Cook Off – an interactive team building experience that gets colleagues working together, solving problems and sharing plenty of laughs, all while preparing an authentic Indian feast from scratch.

Led by experienced cookery tutor and founder Lajina Leal, every session is designed to bring people together through food. Teams communicate, organise, make decisions under time pressure and celebrate their successes around the dining table at the end of the experience. It's a refreshing alternative to traditional team building because everyone leaves with something they can use long after the event: practical cookery skills, greater confidence in the kitchen and stronger relationships with their colleagues. 

Ideal for corporate away days, leadership events, staff rewards, client hospitality, Christmas parties, graduate programmes and wellbeing initiatives.

What Happens During Great Curry Cook Off?

Every event is tailored around your group, venue and business objectives, but the format typically follows a relaxed, sociable structure that naturally encourages teamwork throughout.

Welcome

Guests are greeted with refreshments and an introduction from Lajina before learning about the dishes they'll be creating together.

For in-person events, this often includes welcome drinks alongside Indian snacks or starters while everyone settles in.

Team Briefing

Delegates split into smaller teams, typically between 2 and 4 people.

Each team receives:

• Fresh ingredients
• Specialist spices
• Recipes
• All cooking equipment
• Full guidance throughout the session

There is no expectation that anyone has previous cooking experience.

Hands-On Cooking Challenge

Working together, each team prepares a selection of authentic Indian dishes, which may include:

• A traditional curry
• Fresh chutneys, dips or side dishes
• Homemade chapatis or rotis (each guest makes their own)
• Lassi
• Rice demonstration or rice prepared as part of the challenge

Along the way, teams make important decisions together, including:

• Spice levels
• Flavour balance
• Timing
• Task delegation
• Labelling dishes correctly for ingredients and allergens

The result is a friendly competitive atmosphere where communication and planning become just as important as the cooking itself.

Sit Down Together

Once everything is complete, everyone enjoys the dishes they've prepared together.

Sharing the meal gives colleagues time to relax, reflect on the experience and celebrate their achievements together - often becoming one of the most enjoyable parts of the day.

Supporting Your Business Objectives 

Cooking naturally mirrors many of the skills required in a successful workplace.

Rather than relying on artificial challenges, teams develop these skills while working towards a shared goal.

The experience is particularly effective for organisations looking to improve:

• Teamwork and collaboration
• Communication between colleagues
• Leadership skills
• Planning and organisation
• Problem solving
• Time management
• Employee wellbeing
• Staff engagement
• Confidence
• Creativity
• Relationship building across departments
• Graduate and apprentice development
• Practical life skills
• Preparation for university or independent living

Booking Options

Great Curry Cook Off offers several formats depending on your event.

Hands-On Team Building Experience

The most popular option.

Guests cook together in teams before sitting down to enjoy the food they've prepared.

Perfect for:

• Team building days
• Staff rewards
• Corporate away days
• Client entertainment
• Leadership events
• Christmas parties

Cook & Dine Challenge

Teams are responsible for preparing different elements of a shared meal.

Success depends upon communication between groups, careful timing and ensuring every course is ready together.

This format introduces an extra layer of teamwork and friendly competition.

Demonstration & Dine

Ideal where guests would prefer a more relaxed experience.

Lajina demonstrates authentic Indian cookery techniques while sharing practical tips before everyone enjoys the finished dishes together.

Suitable for:

• Client hospitality
• Networking events
• Smaller corporate gatherings

Virtual Cookalong

Remote teams can still enjoy the experience together.

Ingredients are agreed in advance and participants receive everything they need before joining a live online session from home.

Everyone cooks alongside Lajina in real time before enjoying the meal together virtually.

What Will Your Team Cook?

Menus can be adapted to suit your group, dietary requirements and preferred spice levels.

Typical dishes include:

• Authentic Indian curries
• Fresh homemade chapatis or rotis
• Rice
• Chutneys
• Dips
• Side dishes
• Lassi

Everything is prepared from scratch using fresh ingredients and authentic spices, giving delegates practical techniques they can recreate at home.

Perfect For

Great Curry Cook Off is a strong choice for:

• Corporate team building days
• Leadership and management development
• Employee wellbeing initiatives
• Graduate recruitment programmes
• Staff reward events
• Client hospitality
• Conference breakouts
• Christmas parties
• Company celebrations
• Networking events

Because cooking is collaborative rather than competitive by nature, it works equally well for mixed departments, new teams and colleagues who may not know each other particularly well.

What Your Team Will Take Away

Alongside a fantastic meal, delegates leave with practical skills that continue long after the event.

Benefits include:

• Greater confidence in the kitchen
• Better communication skills
• Improved teamwork
• New friendships across departments
• Practical knowledge of authentic Indian cooking
• Increased appreciation of different cultures through food
• Recipes to recreate at home
• A shared experience colleagues continue talking about afterwards

Experience You Can Trust

Founder Lajina Leal has built an excellent reputation for making authentic Indian cooking approachable, enjoyable and accessible to everyone.

Her workshops are regularly praised for being welcoming, well organised and genuinely hands-on, with participants actively cooking rather than simply watching demonstrations. Customer reviews consistently highlight her friendly teaching style, clear instruction and the relaxed atmosphere she creates. 

Previous clients and organisations include:

• QHotels
• Ascendancy
• Apley Farm Shop
• The Vegetarian Society

She also delivers masterclasses, private cookery tuition and virtual cookalongs alongside her corporate events.

Lineup

Default lineup: 1 performer

Performance Times

Requirements

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Artist Location, Travel & Pricing

Price from £2,429 + travel from Shropshire

Based on 1 person performing 4 Hours

Most Alive Network artists travel UK wide and internationally. Get a guide price instantly by clicking the 'get quote' button and entering your event date and location. Make an enquiry and we will liase directly with Great Curry Cook Off to confirm price, availability, and the provide you with a confirmed quote.

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Featured In

• 1. Team Building and Workshops
  2. West Midlands
  3. Shropshire
  4. Telford
• Corporate Entertainment Ideas
• Party Entertainment Ideas