Yes, I dabble with barbecuing at home during the warmer months but as with most things it is best left to the experts.
Which is why I paid a visit to the Turkish Grill in Werrington, currently flying the flag for Peterborough at the British Kebab Awards 2025.
After votes flooded in at the semi-final stage, the fledgling takeaway (it only opened just over a year ago in a small parade of shops, and a micropub, in Storrington Way) stormed into the final 15 in the Best Regional Takeaway category
Winners will be announced next month.
So what is it about this little place that makes it so special?
I went to find out.
And rather than take away my food like most customers, owner Salman Ciftepala and wife Sanie were keen for me to take a seat.
The place itself is smart enough and there’s no disguising what it is.
The first thing that hit me as I went inside and up to the counter was the charcoal aroma – Salman was already cooking – which was evocative of warm nights on last summer’s family holiday in Turkey.
A good start.
The skewered meat and salad vegetables are displayed in a cabinet for all to see and Salman was keen to emphasise his pride in the cleanliness of his kitchen and the freshness of the food, all of which is prepared fresh each day.
The open kitchen, where customers can watch him prepare their meals is also something he was insistent on when he looked for premises, he says.
“It is quality food, every bit as good as a restaurant, and very authentic, which we sell from a takeaway which makes it better value for customers,” added Salman as he quizzed me on my order and, as a one-off, promised a special salad.
Sanie says they have noticed a lot of new customers since news broke of their involvement in the awards – there is a cutting from the Peterborough Telegraph on the window and the wall. Many have already returned for more, others on the recommendation of friends who have been.
And it is easy to understand why, as their enthusiasm for the service they provide is refreshing.
So to the food.
Mine was popular choice I was told – chicken and lamb, straight off the skewers, on a bed of rice with a healthy helping of kebab meat I had watched Salman expertly trim off.
The meat was unsurprisingly beautifully cooked with subtle flavouring – just enough to let you know there was something going on while also enjoying the flavour of the meat.
A secret recipe with spices bought in Turkey, giving the light flavouring, he says.
The rice was nice and soft while the kebab meat was as moreish as ever. A far cry from what some people might recall a generation ago.
It came with a warm, delightful Turkish bread and two dips – a cooling yogurt-style mix which was soon lapped up, and one with the heat generated from Scotch Bonnet chilies which I used sparingly!
The salad was, as promised, special, and every bit as good as those I enjoyed overseas last summer – chunks of wonderful fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and more, seasoned and with a super dressing.
I was also treated to a slice of sweet-as-you-like baklava and some Turkish Delight, finished off with a Turkish Tea, another holiday memory, while I waited.
I did take something away, however….a sense of enjoyment in the food I had just eaten and the rest of the salad (it was too much for one man) which was finished at home.
•If you have had the pleasure of eating from Turkish Grill you can vote for them HERE
