This small patch of land by St. Barnabas Church in Jericho is the birthplace of both our family and our momos. When we first moved to Oxford we rented a tiny house just opposite. Our son arrived three months later, and when he was little we would take him out to enjoy the street fair that pitched up on our road every summer.
Two weeks before the 2014 Jericho Street Fair we plucked up the courage to book ourselves a stall. By this time we were a family of four. The organisers happened to set aside this pitch for us, the very spot that we eyed up from our bedroom window.
We registered ourselves as a business, completed the necessary hygiene training, and took out public liabilities insurance. Then we threw together a menu board and signage: we painted an old floorboard and called ourselves Jumplings that first outing.
The night before the fair, Yeshi and his friend Tenzin got together and made 700 momos. We had no idea if we’d flog a single dumpling, but on the day we barely had time to set ourselves up before the queues began to form. They didn’t stop until we’d sold out a couple of hours later.
Let us be clear: business has not always been plain sailing. This year there have been highs – bringing Yeshi’s brother onto the team, a rip-roaring Glastonbury and our Sunday Brunch debut are among them. But we have also struggled: our suppliers have hiked their prices, festival organisers are taking increasingly large chunks of our revenue, and all the while numbers at the restaurant are quietly down.
Times are not easy. Looking well beyond Taste Tibet, we pray that next year brings a measure of peace, and we hope that you and your loved ones are managing to keep your heads above water.
As the curtain closes on 2023, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us this year. Some of you have been championing TT for almost a decade now. You are an important part of our story and we are so grateful to you.
Next year we will mark ten years of Taste Tibet – we can’t believe it.
The restaurant will reopen the evening of Friday 5th January – more on that next week. Meanwhile our love and thanks again to you all.
Over and out!
Julie, Yeshi and family x
🎵 All I want for Christmas 🎵 is a Taste Tibet Amazon Review
