There's just no place like home to cook up success

It's been quite a year for Romy Gill. Well, 14 months to be precise.

In that relatively short space of time the 37-year old mum of two from Thornbury in South Gloucestershire has seen her culinary career really take off.

Television shows, a range of own-brand cook-in sauces and plans for her own restaurant... it's all happened for Romy.

Yet it was only back in 2008 that she launched Romy's Kitchen from her family's kitchen in Thornbury.

She began by simply offering cookery lesson at the town's community centre and doing some occasional catering for dinner parties.

But in a nation famed for its love of curries and all things spice, Romy's reputation for serving up some great Indian food has grown and grown.

Last month, for example, at the Thornbury Food Fair, Romy launched her own range of jarred sauces, mango chutney, pickles and spice mixes.

"From talking to people in the cookery lessons I gave it was obvious that what they wanted were my sauces," she says.

"You can already buy similar in the supermarket but they tend to contain a lot of preservatives.

"With my products it is all natural preservatives.

"People are really aware of what is in their food at the moment and I am pleased that my food is all natural ingredients."

Romy is not just stopping at producing her line of sauces, as in the last year she has appeared on a cooking show for an Indian television network and also on UKTV.

So what's in store for the future?

"I am in talks and hopefully will open my own restaurant this year once the planning goes ahead," she says.

"I will then sell my products in my restaurant.

"I will keep on doing my demonstrations and cookery classes as they are very popular so in my restaurant we will have a part as cookery school, say two to three mornings a week.

"I would like to train the youth who don't want to go to college or university and employ them so that they are able to have first-hand experience in learning how to cook Indian food."

And then there's the not insignificant matter of a TV career. Romy has already been to India to appear in six cookery show episodes for a terrestrial channel.

"I am in talks to make more programmes in India with different concepts, not just cooking," she says.

"Here in the UK as well I am also in discussions to make a cookery programme, different to what has gone before on screen here."

It's not easy breaking into this type of business, though, especially the TV world.

But Romy attributes her career ascent to the support she receives from her husband, children and friends.

"I was once told by one British TV show that it does not look good that you work from home and from the community centre if you want to cook on the show.

"But, one has to start from somewhere. I started my passion from home which now has become my profession and it also gives me satisfaction.

"I have also found a publishing and printing house in India who has said yes to publishing my cookery book.

"I was refused here but I did not give up.

"Similarly, agents refuse to represent me because they want me to work on different things and then come back to them.

"So I have decided I am going to represent by myself with the support of my family and friends here.

"I have worked hard and am still working hard to achieve what I believe in."

Romy hopes to have her new restaurant up and running by end of the year.

For now though you can buy her sauces via her website, local farm shops and Riddifords in Thornbury, as well as some delicatessens in Bristol. Check out her website by logging on to www.romyskitchen.co.uk.