A father and son who began selling food from their front garden are still being discovered by locals 10 years after opening. Taxi driver Asghar Ali began selling South Asian sweets on Sundays.
Initially he was just selling jalebi, a flower-based sweet shaped like a pretzel. But he soon got a licence to sell food throughout the weekend and his son, Aziz, now joins him in selling homemade savoury and sweet snacks.
Now the pair, who live across the road from Eastville Park, are considering selling hot drinks in the winter months because they are getting a lot of requests. Locals living near the park have complained about a lack of cafes in the area and now the Kind Regards coffee van has closed there is nowhere nearby for park-goers to grab a hot drink.
Aziz said: “My father makes all the savoury stuff out the back and I make the sweets. Some locals actually don’t know that we’re here and then they’ll see us at the weekend and they’ll be surprised that we’ve actually been here for 10 years.
“People have asked us to do a chai, especially in the winter. We might get a flask and start making hot drinks this year.”
The small family business only has a licence to sell food at the weekend other than during Ramadan, when it opens throughout the week. The home-cooked snacks, which are all vegetarian, range from 50p to £1 per item. The jalebi is fried in the front yard and sold by the kilo.
Jalebi Chowk on 282 Fishponds Road is open from 12-7pm every Saturday and Sunday.