Meet Riya Patel: Co-Founder of All The Aunties and Author of The Paneer Cookbook

From family kitchens to supermarket shelves, meet the woman on a mission to make paneer an everyday ingredient.

If there’s one thing Riya Patel wants you to know, it’s that paneer is SO much more than an ingredient for your Friday night curry.

Riya is the founder of All The Aunties, a family-run British food business on a mission to get more people cooking, experimenting and falling in love with paneer. She’s also the author of The Paneer Cookbook, featuring over 80 recipes celebrating this wonderfully versatile ingredient.

But how did it all begin?

A love of food, family and feeding people

For Riya, food has always been about more than what’s on the plate. It’s about family, bringing people together and the recipes that get passed around kitchens and dinner tables.

At the heart of All The Aunties are the women who have inspired generations of home cooking.

The Aunties who know exactly how much spice to add without measuring a thing. Who insist you haven’t eaten enough, even when you’re absolutely stuffed. And who can turn a handful of ingredients into something truly spectacular.

That spirit of generosity, creativity and knowing your way around a kitchen is what inspires All The Aunties today.

Why paneer?

Paneer has been enjoyed across South Asia for generations, but in Britain it’s often confined to the curry house.

And whilst we LOVE a paneer curry, Riya knew there was so much more potential waiting to be unlocked.

Paneer is rich in protein, incredibly versatile and brilliant at taking on flavour. It can be fried, grilled, baked, crumbled, skewered or added to a traybake. It works for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

So why weren’t more people cooking with it?

That question became a mission: to take paneer beyond the curry house and make it an everyday ingredient in British kitchens.

Enter All The Aunties

Riya founded All The Aunties to make delicious, high-quality paneer more accessible, without losing sight of the heritage and traditions behind it.

Our paneer is handmade in Britain using 100% British milk, with a bespoke cooking process that gives it its signature soft, fluffy texture.

Today, you’ll find All The Aunties in supermarkets across the UK, helping more people discover just how delicious paneer can be.

But we’re not just here to sell cheese. We’re here to change the way people think about it.

From paneer packs to The Paneer Cookbook

Of course, getting paneer into people’s fridges is only half the battle. The next question is: what on earth do you cook with it?

Enter The Paneer Cookbook.

Written by Riya, the book features over 80 recipes celebrating paneer in all its wonderful forms. From speedy midweek meals to dishes designed for sharing, it’s packed with inspiration for anyone who wants to get more adventurous in the kitchen.

It’s a celebration of an ingredient that deserves far more attention, and an invitation to get cooking.

Riya Patel in the press

Riya’s mission to make paneer an everyday ingredient has been attracting attention beyond Aunty HQ!

She’s been featured in The Times, sharing why paneer deserves to be enjoyed beyond curries, and in The Grocer, discussing the versatility of paneer and the inspiration behind her cookbook.

The book has also appeared in Stylist magazine as part of its Stylish Life edit.

Not bad for a humble block of cheese, eh?!

What’s next for Riya?

Riya’s mission remains the same: to make paneer a celebrated, everyday ingredient, whilst sharing the flavours, stories and cooking traditions that inspired All The Aunties in the first place.

Whether you’re already a paneer obsessive or you’ve never cooked with it before, there’s a whole world of possibilities waiting for you.

Explore our paneer recipes for some inspiration.

And as any good Auntie would say, there’s always room for one more at the table.

Welcome to the family!