Ajit Patel UK Sanda Wellness - Freezer Fantastic

Freezer Fantastic – Ajit Patel UK Sanda Wellness

It’s a staple part of almost every household’s kitchen but it’s easy to find that your freezer is not being used to its full potential. If your freezer is full of half filled ice-cube trays, out of date ice-cream and several unidentifiable tubs of food it might be time to have a clear out and put your freezer to better use.

Getting the most from your freezer can make feeding your family easier, more cost effective and healthier. Here are some ideas:

Think Outside the (Freezer) Box

Lots of different foods can be frozen – not just those commonly found in the supermarket freezer isle. Things that you might not expect such as grated cheese and milk can be frozen. And if you find that your family doesn’t get through a whole loaf of bread before it starts to go mouldy, split the loaf into smaller sections and freeze – individual slices can then be defrosted quickly in a toaster whenever you need them.

Double it Up

Whenever you cook a dish, double up the quantities and freeze individual portions so that you always have some of your favourite recipes ready to cook at a moment’s notice. Making your own pasta sauce and freezing several portions is ideal as you can use the sauce as the basis of many dishes – not just pasta but chillies and shepherd’s pie too.

Waste Not, Want Not

Often a problem with large shop-bought desserts, big pizzas, and ingredients such as frozen pastry is that you might not want to eat all of it in one go but once it’s defrosted you cannot refreeze what is left. The solution is to cut the items into portions before you freeze them so that you can just take out what you need.

Ice Ice Baby

Think your ice cube tray is just for freezing water? Think again! You can make tasty fruity ice cubes from fruit juice – ideal when you need something cool and refreshing on a hot day. Or try putting sprigs of fresh herbs into your ice cube tray and then cover with water. This is an easy way to freeze fresh herbs ready to defrost when you need them. And if you have a baby, you can even use your ice cube tray to freeze tiny portions of homemade purees – perfect when weaning.

Get Labelling

When freezing home cooked meals, one problem is remembering what everything is and when you made it. This means we often end up throwing things away because they are unidentifiable. The solution is simple – keep a box of labels and a pen next to your freezer so that you can label things as soon as you freeze them.

Collect Your Odds and Ends

When you have just a few vegetables leftover you might think they are not worth freezing. But if you create a separate vegetable box in your freezer just for those little bits and pieces they will soon accumulate into enough to make a delicious vegetable soup or stew.

-          Ajit Patel UK, Sanda Wellbeing and Sanda Wellness Group, Goldshield Group, WeMet

I Want to Share an Interview of Mine in rediff.com - Ajit Patel, UK

 

Ajit Patel is the CEO and founder of n-gage, a 360-degree lifestyle chat app that promises to revolutionise the way people interact with one another.

While n-gage has its own chat, telephone and video calling format, it can be used to send messages across existing social media platforms like WhatsApp, Skype, FaceBook, Twitter and other similar applications.

Ajit went to the United Kingdom to study in 1978 and qualified with a degree in pharmacy in 1982. By 1989 he was the co-founder, chairman and CEO of the Goldshield Group, one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the UK. His company was one of the first, by a person of Indian origin, to be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Ajit eventually sold his stake to make a tidy fortune for himself and is in India to launch his newest business venture, n-gage.

During his time at Goldshield he pioneered captive call centres in Mumbai in 1999 with GTL. Over a course of seven years, he created several thousand back office jobs in India for the Goldshield Group.

His app, which has been developed in Mumbai by a young and dedicated team, is available in IOS, Android and Web versions.

The app claims to have features that are unique -- it can recall a message, keep a message on the receiver's phone for a few seconds and ensure complete control of the message's life in the receiver's phone.

Sudhir Bisht spoke to Ajit Patel,  in New Delhi recently.

From being a pharmacist to taking your company to the LSE to coming to Mumbai, how would you describe your journey so far?

My journey has been a fun-filled and fulfilling roller coaster with some highs and a few lows on the way.

As an entrepreneur I have started many businesses -- some failed, some saw moderate to good success and one of them was a major success.

My first pharmacy business in London, Goldshield going public on the LSE, and my hotel business in Goa are clear milestones.

During my time at Goldshield we had offices in three continents: The UK, the US and India and sales in over 65 countries. This exposure with experience in Africa, my birthplace, I got to understand and appreciate the diversity in cultures across the globe and gain a better understanding of people, a key feature in my journey.

Tell us about your initial days in the UK.

Right from the beginning, my stay in the UK has been fulfilling. Other than the normal everyday struggles we all face, I cannot recall anything unusual.

I believe having the right attitude, working hard for what you want and taking no for an answer gets you over any hurdles that are on the path to success.

As someone who doesn't have any formal training in IT or related fields, what prompted you to start a chat app?

I had no training for most things I did in business. The principles of what I do are the same. When I am passionate about something, I learn.

My knowledge and skills don't drive what I do. My passion drives my new skills and knowledge acquisition.

What prompted you to enter the Indian market first? Why not the EU market?

I have been doing business in India since 1999. I have a passion for the country and I believe it has great potential as the market is young with huge potential. We will enter other markets when the time is right.

Ajit, your n-gage chat app is completely dependent upon the Internet and relies solely upon the service provider's ability to stay neutral to the apps.

Our app relies on the Internet as do other apps. We also have a browser-based version of the product that does not require any download of n-gage.

Whom do you see yourself competing with? You may say your product would complement several other products, but in reality it would occupy the time slots of other apps.

Being a cross-platform app with many new features we complement all the other apps. n-gage users can message other phone users who do not have n-gage on their phones, be it through Whatsapp, SMS, email or any other means.

Our app road map in very different to many existing apps and so road crosses many different types of apps along the way, so the answer will reveal itself in time.

You could be competing against WhatsApp which is fully owned by Facebook. But imagine a situation where that access to WhatsApp is made free of charge by some operators who may team up with FaceBook. Would this hamper your product?

I firmly believe that no one does anything for free. Users these days are wising up, and know that when something is free, there is some level of compromise.

With increasing concerns around privacy, more users will be able to see the need for our product. I also believe in the phrases, 'Where there is a will there is a way' and that 'A river always flows, no matter what the hurdles,' so the success of n-gage will emerge from that.

What is your view on Net Neutrality?

If we can provide services without impacting the free and open market and maintain an anti-competitive environment, then let's do it. The Net must stay neutral for everyone to benefit.

When will you go for a full-scale commercial launch of your app?

The audience will grow at its natural pace with a gentle tug of marketing along the way. There is continuous investment here and we are talking to some friends and family at this stage.

There is for sure an end-game in mind and so very soon I will be able to share with you more!

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