Well, just after the cultural revolution in China, my granddad and my mum used to run a dumpling and snack stall in
the bustling street markets of Beijing.

As a child, I remember that running the market stall was a real family affair. Each morning my mum and my aunties would form a production line in the front room of the family home to make the fresh dumplings, pickles and various goodies to be sold that day. Much to the amusement of my granddad, I made myself the official food taster – a very important job indeed!

Today, the food we serve at Mama Lan’s is the very same food that was sold on my granddad’s humble little market stall all those years ago.