Dragons snap up saucy secrets

SHARING the secret sauces recipe: Lisa

TWINS Lisa and Helen Tse have secured celebrity backing after appearing on TV show Dragons’ Den.

The pair featured in Sunday’s episode and won a £50,000 investment from Duncan Bannatyne and Hilary Devey for a 40 per cent stake in their gluten-free sauce business.

The chefs, from Chadderton, run Sweet Mandarin in Manchester’s northern quarter and previously won Gordon Ramsay’s Best Local Chinese Restaurant prize on his show “The “F Word”.

Of Dragons’ Den. head chef Lisa said: “It was the most nerve-wracking experience of my life, even more so than cooking for Gordon Ramsay. I’m comfortable in the kitchen but not in the boardroom.”

The initial range of Sweet Mandarin Sauces includes a thick and fruity barbecue sauce, a sweet chilli and a sweet and sour. Around 1,000 bottles a day are currently being produced at the restaurant.

The twins use secret recipes passed down through their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Lisa added: “We are delighted to be supporting Coeliac UK. The statistics are staggering — one in a hundred people are coeliac and can’t enjoy Chinese food because many sauces contain gluten.

“By offering a range of gluten-free sauces, we are able to show how easy it is to provide options.”




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