Helen Tse
Helen Tse MBE (born 1977) is a British author and restaurateur. Her most noted work has been Sweet Mandarin, a memoir of three generations of Chinese women, beginning with her grandmother, Lily Kwok, establishing themselves in the Manchester area.
Before becoming an author and restaurateur, Tse studied law at Cambridge University and then worked in finance and law for Clifford Chance and PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2006, she won a Young Accountant of the Year award and in 2008 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University for her "contribution to literature".[1][2][3][4]
Tse is one of three granddaughters of Lily Kwok; the others are Lisa and Janet. All three have continued in the hospitality business with Sweet Mandarin, a Chinese restaurant they opened together in 2004 in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where "Lily Kwok's Chicken Curry" remains a menu item.[5] In 2007 Helen Tse published a family memoir, also called Sweet Mandarin, about her grandmother's life and career.[6] In collaboration with Lisa Tse she has also published cookbooks based on their grandmother's recipes: Dim Sum: Small Bites Made Easy[7] and Sweet Mandarin Cookbook[8]
Tse was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the food and drink sector.[9]
Selected publications
[edit]- 2007: Sweet Mandarin: the Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West. London: Ebury Press ISBN 9780091913618
- 2014: (with Lisa Tse) Sweet Mandarin Cookbook. Kyle Books ISBN 9780857832092
- 2015: (with Lisa Tse) Dim Sum: Small Bites Made Easy. Kyle Books ISBN 9780857832689
References
[edit]- ^ BBC (2007) Manchester: Arts and Literature: Fortune Cooking?, 5th Feb (Accessed Feb 2012)
- ^ University of Manchester: Confucius Institute - Sweet Mandarin: A Family History: Helen Tse Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed Feb 2012)
- ^ Radio Free Asia: In China, Food Is Love (2008-09-10) (Accessed Feb 2012)
- ^ Staffordshire University: 2008 Honorary Doctorates: Helen Tse (Accessed Feb 2012)
- ^ "Fortune Cooking?" BBC.co.uk (1 February 2007).
- ^ Helen Tse, Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West (Ebury Press 2007). ISBN 9780091913618
- ^ Kyle Books, 2015 ISBN 9780857832689
- ^ Kyle Books, 2014 ISBN 9780857832092
- ^ "No. 60728". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2013. p. 24.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1977 births
- 21st-century English memoirists
- Alumni of the University of Cambridge
- British women memoirists
- British writers of Chinese descent
- English cookbook writers
- English people of Chinese descent
- English restaurateurs
- Lawyers from Manchester
- Living people
- Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Women restaurateurs
- Writers from Manchester