Anavrin Kitchen is a startup, Cambridge-based company and brainchild of Lavanya – a software engineer by day and an explorer of flavours the rest of the time. As Lavanya says, “I don’t just travel to taste food – I travel to understand it.”
Samosas were originally carried by early Persian travellers and nomads as a practical, durable and compact source of flavourful sustenance on long journeys. Today, they are most closely associated with South Asian cuisine and remain a tasty, economical and adaptable food enjoyed worldwide.
Anavrin – ‘Nirvana’ backwards – is founded on the idea that nirvana is something you journey towards. Its samosas embody that ethos: first you bite through the pastry, then you discover the filling, taking a small journey towards Lavanya’s ‘Taste of Nirvana’. Each filling adds its own twist along the way.
Lavanya’s journey was inspired by her experience at the International Salon Culinaire, together with her training with the British Nutrition Foundation.
Commercially available samosas often contain spiced vegetables or a mixture of meat and vegetables, are labelled generically as ‘Indian’, and are wrapped in flaky pastry. Lavanya takes a different approach.
She combines Indian cooking techniques and spices with global flavours she enjoys, aiming to respect their authenticity while presenting them in a creative, convenient and accessible form. After all, who says a samosa must look or taste a certain way? Certainly not me.
We tried a selection of Anavrin’s vegetarian, vegan and meat-filled samosas. Each had its own distinctive and delicious flavour profile, and all were generously packed with ingredients.
The Potato & Pea was a comforting classic, filled with fluffy potato and traditional Indian spices. The Paneer Butter Masala – which I imagine is a vegetarian alternative to the Butter Chicken – contained pieces of soft paneer that carried the rich, creamy tomato-and-butter masala beautifully.
The final vegetarian, Indian-inspired option was the Chana Masala, with bites of chickpea surrounded by a warm, aromatic and deeply flavoursome masala.
The Butter Chicken contained chicken in a velvety tomato and butter sauce. The gravy was creamy and rich with a slightly tangy back-note from the natural acidity of the tomatoes, before an earthy finish from the fenugreek.
Moving into Lavanya’s globally inspired range, we tried the Mexican Chipotle samosa. Packed with kidney beans, chargrilled vegetables and a smoky chipotle sauce, it delivered earthy flavours, gentle warmth and a bold finish.
The Beef Mince Bolognese was packed with savoury minced beef in a rich, Italian-inspired tomato sauce. Sweetness from the onions balanced the tomatoes’ natural acidity, while the herbs added earthy notes.
Finally, the Pesto, Mozzarella & Spinach Chicken was a delightful parcel filled with tender chicken, melting mozzarella and spinach, all brought together by a fragrant, herbaceous and salty pesto. It delivered the flavours of Italy in a crispy shell.
We received three sauces with our samosas: Tamarind, Cranberry, and Tomato & Mascarpone Curry. The tomato curry was smooth and silky, while the tamarind and cranberry sauces were tangier, sharper and slightly sweet.
We found that these sauces complemented the more traditional samosas better than the globally inspired varieties. The tomato curry was my favourite, although all three were delicious and I would not give any of them up.
Many samosas use flaky pastry, but the Anavrin version is more akin to shortcrust. As Lavanya explains, “I wanted a more substantial bite that feels like a meal. Filo gives a thin, flaky crunch, but handmade dough gives the texture I wanted, so it can hold the various fillings.”
She adds that this pastry creates the flexibility needed to experiment with different flavours and flours. A gluten-free version, for example, should give the person eating it the same experience as any other Anavrin samosa.
Regardless of flavour, once Lavanya develops a recipe, it goes through multiple testing stages. Each samosa must work during preparation, freezing and air-frying while maintaining a consistent flavour and texture.
Lavanya chooses to air-fry her samosas rather than deep-fry them. Each one is handmade in small batches for greater quality control, using premium, responsibly sourced ingredients and thoughtfully chosen spices.
Anavrin Kitchen offers fresh delivery in and around Cambourne, Cambridge. Elsewhere, the samosas arrive frozen and ready to finish in an air fryer, preferably, or an oven. Each delivery includes cooking instructions and guidance on adding a finishing flourish.
Continuing the adventure theme, they arrive with a boarding ticket to flavour, as well as the menu presented as ‘Your Tasting Flight’ and the chocolates at the end as a ‘sweet landing’. All good fun, really.
They ask if orders can be placed seven days in advance because everything is prepared specially for each confirmed date. For urgent or short-notice requests, contact Anavrin Kitchen; the team will always try to help where availability and preparation time allow.
To finish, we enjoyed delightful bites of Pistachio Kunafa Chocolate — what Anavrin Kitchen calls the ‘sweet landing’. It was a perfect end to our culinary journey: sweet, creamy chocolate with slightly woody, buttery notes from the pistachio and a satisfying crunch from the crisp shredded kunafa pastry. Is one enough? We will let you be the judge of that!
As well as samosas, Anavrin Kitchen offers Biryanis, Dal Rice Bowls, and Pakoras locally.
Anavrin Kitchen starts their samosas as RRP £2.50, with delivery costs and pricing having the potential to vary depending on quantity, flavour selection, packaging and customised requirements. Locally, they regularly trade at St Neots Market.