‘The lanes of Lucknow crawled with British and other European men. The Nawab had English and Dutch officers in his army. Then there were European merchants, European doctors, painters, barbers, even schoolteachers. But there were some who had not come to do a specific job. Their only aim was to make money. They tried to impress the Nawab, and fleece him anyhow. In that category of men fell Thomas Godwin. He was a young man from England—his home was in Sussex, or Suffolk ... or was it Surrey? I can’t remember. Anyway, he heard about the Nawab’s wealth and arrived in Lucknow. He was good-looking and well spoken. It did not take him long to please the British Resident, Mr Cherry. Cherry gave him a letter of introduction, and Godwin turned up in Sadat Ali’s court. Sadat asked him what his speciality was. Thomas had heard that the Nawab was fond of European food, and Thomas was a good cook. So he said he was a master chef, he’d like to prepare a meal for the Nawab. ‘Go ahead!’ said Sadat. Thomas produced such an excellent meal that Sadat Ali immediately appointed him as a cook in the royal kitchen. Everywhere that the Nawab went, his entourage included a Muslim cook and Thomas Godwin.

‘When the Governor-General came to Lucknow, Sadat would invite him to breakfast, knowing that he would benefit if the Governor-General was pleased with him. The only person he could depend on was Godwin. And if Thomas could please the Nawab with a new dish, he would be duly rewarded. Not just a couple of mohurs, mind you, we are talking here of a Nawab of Lucknow. His generosity matched his status. So you can imagine the kind of money Thomas Godwin made. If the money wasn’t good, he would not have worked in a kitchen. He simply wasn’t that kind of a man.

‘Eventually, he left Lucknow and stepped out of the Nawab’s domain. He came to Calcutta, and married a woman called Jane Maddock. She was the daughter of an army captain. Within three months, Godwin started his own restaurant—in the heart of Chowringhee, no less. He was still doing very well. But then the inevitable followed. After all, good times don’t last for ever, do they?