Meet Craig, the person behind Vegan Masala

I loved cooking from an early age. I would much rather learn a recipe and understand the techniques behind it than pay somebody else to cook for me. Growing up, an uncle introduced me to curry through recipes he had collected on his travels. Indian takeaways were a real treat in our family, so when money was tight I began researching my favourite dishes and experimenting with making them myself.

Cooking at home gave me more control. I could adjust the heat, deepen the spices and shape every dish around my own taste. Then, one day, I discovered a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook on my grandparents' shelf. It opened another door and I became a lifelong admirer of her cooking and her ability to make Indian food feel vivid, generous and achievable.

I became vegetarian around ten years ago and fully vegan about eight years ago. Rather than giving up the curries I loved, I began adapting recipes that traditionally contained meat or dairy. I quickly realised how little flavour had to be sacrificed when the substitutions were chosen carefully and the cooking remained true to the character of the dish.

Today there is an excellent range of plant-based ingredients, and in most recipes there is an effective alternative for meat, dairy, ghee or paneer. The result can still be rich, comforting and full of spice—with the important difference that no animal had to be harmed or exploited to put it on the table.

Vegan Masala began as a place to collect the recipes I had gathered over the years and adapted for plant-based cooking. I wanted curry lovers to know that they could make satisfying versions of their favourite dishes without compromising on flavour or relying on animal products.

The site is for committed vegans, curious vegetarians and anybody who simply wants to eat more plant-based meals. As meat becomes more expensive and factory farming continues to affect animals and the environment, I hope to show non-vegans that a plant-based dinner can feel abundant rather than restrictive. This is not about lecturing people. It is about cooking food so enjoyable that the kinder choice becomes an easy one.

I have always been drawn not only to Indian food, but to the sense of family and hospitality that surrounds it. Food brings people together to celebrate, to offer charity, to welcome strangers and to turn an ordinary evening into something shared.

To me, home cooking means recipes passed between grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren. It means people gathering around the table, talking and sharing their lives. That spirit of generosity is what I want Vegan Masala to carry into every kitchen it reaches.

Friends would describe me as an enthusiastic and confident cook. I often arrive at a party with a pocket full of spices or something I have made, and I have been known to take over a friend's pots and pans to throw together a hearty meal for everyone. For me, cooking has always been one of the most natural ways to show care.