- Patel was invited to serve tea to celebrate the UK-India free trade deal
- UK ministers Jonathan Reynolds and Wes Streeting also sampled Patel's chai
- Patel founded Amala Chai in 2019 using family farm tea from Assam and Kerala
Indian-origin tea entrepreneur Akhil Patel had a day to remember at Chequers, the official country residence of the UK Prime Minister, on July 24. Mr Patel served a steaming cup of masala chai to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer.
Photographs shared by PM Modi on X (formerly Twitter) captured both leaders waiting for their tea at Patel's stall. Dressed in a traditional kurta and Nehru jacket, Mr Patel was captured pouring masala chai from a kettle into paper cups.
Now, in an Instagram clip, the founder of Amala Chai gave his followers “a quick recap of a surreal day”.
“I just got on Modi's Instagram!” he began, clearly astonished.
Detailing the invitation, Mr Patel said he was asked to serve tea at Chequers “to celebrate the UK-India free trade deal.”
“As one of the few selected brands there, little did I know I'd be serving chai to huge UK and Indian ministers and Modi and Starmer,” he said.
Among those who visited his stall were UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Health Secretary Wes Streeting. “They were loving it, coming back for multiple cups,” said Patel, adding that even India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar sampled his tea.
Recalling the high point of the day, Patel said, “Then the big boys started coming my way, walking by the side of me and standing right in front of me, asking for a cup of chai.” He was referring to PM Modi and Keir Starmer. “I served the chai, and then I dropped the line, ‘from one chaiwala to another',” he added.
“Possibly one of the craziest moments of my life, I just served chai to Modi and Starmer, and Starmer loved it,” he added.
His Instagram caption read, “A quick recap of a surreal day. Yesterday, I was invited by @10downingstreet to serve chai at Chequers — to @narendramodi, @keirstarmer, and Indian & UK ministers. Can we just take a moment to realise how mad that is? There I was, in the UK Prime Minister's house, serving masala chai — and not one person wanted coffee. From one chaiwala to another, that was a special day. Right… I'm getting off the internet now to make a cup of chai.”
In 2019, inspired by his grandma's recipe, he founded Amala Chai. Described as "Chai That Feels Like Home," the brand's masala chai begins at the source, with single-origin tea and spices from family farms in Assam and Kerala.
Since its launch six years ago, Patel's Amala Chai has grown and now serves customers at five locations across London.
