Ash Mistry’s interest in the humble egg led him into a catering business that’s a big favourite with gym bunnies and healthy eaters. EMMA DUNN went along to taste his creations

WHEN Ash Mistry was made redundant from his job in the pharmaceutical industry, he used it as an opportunity to start his own business.

The 48-year-old, who has a degree in biochemistry, has been running Eggelicious in the tented market for four years.

He aims to provide wholesome food with a wide range of vitamins and minerals, which he has not only learnt about through his line of work, but also has a passion for.

“I want my food to benefit people. When I am at home I am always thinking of wholesome food I can put on my menu,” said the father-of-three.

“It is all about super foods. Foods that give you good value in terms of nutrition. Egg has 18 micro nutrients, including Vitamin D, Vitamin K, magnesium and phospherous.

“When I was starting out I tried to do just eggs. But I realised quickly that people don’t go out to eat just eggs. They go out for chicken or fish but they don’t go out to just eat eggs.

“So I developed a concept beyond eggs and looked into the benefits of other foods too, including chilli, garlic and spinach. Spinach and egg together provide a whole spectrum of vitamins.”

The Eggelicious menu sees Ash making dozens of toasted wraps from Monday to Saturday from 9.30am until 5.30pm.

The customer chooses from a variety of fillings, which include chicken, lamb, fish, paneer or egg.

These can then be accompanied with spinach, pan-fried potatoes, egg, mozzarella or chickpeas, or a bit of each.

And it certainly seems to be popular as they have been ranked as number one on Trip Advisor for Swindon and Wiltshire for the past 22 months.

Ash said his cookery is inspired by his mum and his childhood influences, which include Indian and Mediterranean flavours.

“I don’t come from a catering college, this is just home cooking in a commercial environment,” he said. “This is high end and high protein food. For instance, potatoes are full of Vitamin C – they have more Vitamin C than an orange. So we get a lot of gym and health enthusiasts.

“There are usually between 450 and 600 calories in our dishes but they are wholesome calories, which means people aren’t usually hungry for the rest of the day.”

Ash has a whole team at Eggelicious, including his wife Sheila, and his son Pritesh, who is at Bristol University but helps out during the holidays.

The eggs, which are free range, come from Beechwood Farm in Newbury and the chicken comes from near the Cotswolds.

Ash was made redundant from his job as an accounts manager at a pharmaceutical firm in High Wycombe two years before he started Eggelicious in 2009.

Before starting the restaurant, he spent three months travelling, and managed to line up another job but was made redundant for a second time as the recession took hold.

It was then that Ash started to re-evaluate his choices.

“I enjoyed my job, but after 19 years I wanted to do something different. I looked at the things I am passionate about – cooking and gardening,” he said.

Ash then spent six weeks studying eggs, writing clinical papers on them and studying recipes.

“Eggelicious is not just about my background. I love food, this is my passion. Coming out from the pharmaceutical industry to here was a complete change of career,” he said.

“I had a head hunter asking if I wanted to come back about three months ago. It’s big money but I said no. This is what I am going to stick to. I come here to play rather than work.”

Wraps range from £3.45 to £10 depending on fillings.

For more information visit www.eggelicious.co.uk, phone 07943 454753 or visit Store 36 in The Tented Market in the town centre.