Longest-serving buyer of UK’s first Indian restaurant joins marketing campaign to reserve it

Andrew Stubbs, 73, was just five when he first visited the Veeraswamy – Britain’s first Indian restaurant – which is now under threat of closure

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The longest-serving customer of the ‘iconic’ birthplace of British beer and curry has backed the Daily Star’s campaign to save it so future generations can enjoy the ‘piece of history’ just like him.

Andrew Stubbs, 73, was just five when he first visited the Veeraswamy – Britain’s first Indian restaurant – in 1958 in an ‘event’ that stayed with him for life.

He, his then-10-year-old brother Malcolm, and their steel plant boss dad, Eric, made a 350-mile round trip from Sheffield to London to eat at what was then one of the few foreign restaurants in the UK.

It was the first time Andrew had been on a train, visited London or had curry. But the experience matched seeing other historic attractions like Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Madame Tussauds.

When he heard the restaurant, which is celebrating its centenary, faces being shut down and turned into offices, he knew he had to return – 68 years on.

Now 73, the building firm boss and wife Hazel, 67, made a 220-mile round-trip from their home in Bourne, Lincs, to support the campaign to save the London Regent Street eaterie.

Instead of shutting it, the building firm boss said it should get a blue plaque for the role it has played in British history.

He said: “It would be devastating if it was forced to close. This is indeed an iconic restaurant and I would like to stake my claim to being possibly its longest-serving customer – even though I have only been twice.

“It was as good this time as I remember it as a child. The food was fantastic.

“But it wasn’t just a meal – it was an event. When you think the place introduced Britain to what is now the nation’s favourite food it is far more than just a restaurant.

“It is a piece of history and it has to be saved. Instead of closing it they should be giving it a blue plaque.

“It would be terrible to think future generations may not be able to share its role in British life.”

Andrew said his dad chose it for the brothers because its reputation for fine food extended across the UK.

“I don’t recall there being another Indian restaurant anywhere at the time,” he said.

“If we went out for dinner then it was always fish and chips.

“After arriving in London we did the typical touristy things – Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Madame Tussauds – and ended up at Veeraswamy for a late lunch.

“I remember my father ordering Bird’s Nest Soup and I didn’t think anything of this until many years later, and long after my father had died, that this is a Chinese dish, not Indian.

“When we went back I asked the Maitre d how come I remembered my father ordering Bird’s Nest Soup and he explained that some years ago they also had a Rest of the World Menu alongside the traditional, but spectacular, Indian cuisine.

“I’m so pleased we made the trip. Given the threat to its future there is a possibility of not having the opportunity of returning.

“Please continue your campaign to save Veeraswamy so that people like me can visit over the generations.”

Mahatma Gandhi was one of Veeraswamy’s first customers, and it carried on dishing up grub to Londoners as bombs dropped in the Blitz and celebrity fans included Sir Winston Churchill and The Godfather actor Marlon Brando.

Most importantly, it started the British tradition of washing down a curry with a lager. Prince Axel of Denmark liked to drink Carlsberg at the restaurant in the 1920s – triggering a century-long trait.

We told earlier this week how the restaurant faces closure because its landlord, the Crown Estate, wants to convert the building into offices.

The Daily Star is backing a campaign by 20,000 diners, history buffs and celebrity chefs from around the world to keep it cooking. Over 2,000 more people signed an online petition to save it in the 24 hours since we revealed its plight.

One supporter wrote: “The lease needs to be renewed to ensure the continued legacy of the UK’s oldest Indian restaurant that is loved by thousands for its rich cultural heritage and exceptional culinary excellence. It was opened by my great grandfather and holds a special place in my heart.”

Another said: “My grandfather took my mother here on her 18th. My mother took me here on my 18th. I hoped to take my daughter here on her 18th in a couple of years. Shame on you for taking this tradition away over something so meaninglessly ridiculous.”

One more said: “I’ve been visiting this Indian restaurant for years whenever I’m in town from Sydney Australia and it’s become one of my go-to spots for both lunch and dinner. It would be such a loss to see a place like this close down. Places like this are rare and worth saving.”

A Crown Estate spokesman said it understood its change-of-use decision was ‘disappointing’ for the restaurant and it has offered to help find alternative premises in the West End plus financial compensation.

“We need to carry out a comprehensive refurbishment of Victory House to both bring it up to modern standards and into full use,” they said, adding so far there had been no alternative proposal which met ‘our responsibilities to manage public money’.

They said it was ‘not a decision we’ve taken lightly’.

Without an agreed settlement the dispute could end up in court with the restaurant challenging the non-renewal of its lease.