My name is Urmila Nagarkoti. I’m from Nepal. I grew up in a very small beautiful mountain village called Dahapokhari close to Kathmandu. Some people from my village are very wealthy and others are very poor. I come from a very poor family. We often struggled to have enough food and clothes to wear. Even though we had nothing we were very happy. We didn’t have enough money to go anywhere so we just stayed in our village. When I was older I went to the capital city of Kathmandu to look for work. I got a job and managed to save money to give to my family.

They were so happy. First I went to Bahrain then I arrived in London. I have a working permit here. I want to earn money to send back to my family in Nepal. I really love London. I love cooking. I learnt how to cook from my mother, she is an incredible cook. What is difficult is not being able to speak English. But I am a fast learner, already my English is a lot better. My favourite food is potato, chickpeas and coriander curry. Cooking is my passion. I really miss my family and I also feel the pressure to earn money for them. I am lucky to be here. But it’s hard.