When Pavinder Malhi was a child growing up in Birmingham, he knew he was in the good books when a family member would turn up at the door with South Asian sweets from Ambala.
“You knew you’d done something special or there was a big celebration if someone brought over a box of something from there,” Pavinder tells the Manchester Evening News at the back of the brand’s Manchester store on Wilmslow Road in Rusholme.
“They’ve always had a reputation as being something quite premium, so you knew someone had paid a little bit of money to treat you. I remember, even as a kid, it was known for being the good stuff. The motichoor ladoo’s would have you bouncing around the sofa from all the sugar!”
From London to Manchester: A 60-Year Legacy
Today, Pavinder is the sales and support manager for Ambala - which started in 1965 with a shop on London’s Drummond Street. One of the first South Asian confectionery stores in Britain at the time, the brand has today expanded to over 35 stores across the country with its Rusholme shop having first opened around 18 years ago.
On any given day, the Manchester shop will make its way through hundreds of sweets - ranging from gulub jamun, baklawa, walnut Halwa and pista barfi fudge - as well as the likes of samosas, pakoras, chai teas, and mouth-watering chaat dishes.
Freshly Made, Four Times a Week
Its line of products are freshly delivered to store four times a week from their London bakery using recipes that have largely remained unchanged over the years. For the last ten years, the Manchester store has been under the watchful eye of store supervisor Mohammad Arshad, who spent 16 years prior to that working for Ambala in London.
“Customers trust the quality - when they come in they know they’re getting something that is freshly made,” he says when asked why Ambala has stood the test of time. “We are one of the oldest sweet shops in the country, we are one of only a handful who have been around the longest in Rushholme too.”
Competition and Customer Loyalty
Of course, the Curry Mile is not without its competition. There's the Sanam Sweethouse & Restaurant, which has been thriving in the area since the 80s, as well as various curry restaurants and kebab shops, but it's true to say that the many sweet shops that did line Wilmslow Road a few years ago have emptied out.
Despite that, Mohammad said the Manchester shop has been busy since day one - with queues often out the door at the weekends and especially as Eid celebrations take place. As well as for the occasional treat, Ambala also caters to large events, like weddings, where guests will devour celebration boxes and hampers full of sweets.
Signature Sweets and Modern Twists
One of their most popular sweets is the Habshi Halwa, a milk, wheat, butter ghee and nutty sticky sweet which is known for being decadent and sweet. “It’s a very unique product,” Pavinder says. “It takes a very long time to make, it doesn’t have a straightforward process behind it. Every store I visit, it just goes out the door!”
But Ambala has also been trying to keep up with the trends and encourage young people to visit them. “We do try to introduce some modern products that we know people will like based on popular trends,” Mohammad explains. “But at the same time, we never try to lose the tradition behind what we do.”
He cites their Dubai Chocolate Ladoo and Barfi as examples of how they have been able to mix the classic with today’s trend-hunters. For their latest inception, the hand-rolled gram flour and ghee Ladoo includes a signature pistachio, chocolate and crushed nut filling. “It’s one of our most popular choices now,” he proclaims as he says it’s been big with influencers on social media.
A Halal, Vegetarian Haven
Ever since Ambala opened, it has prided itself on being 100% Halal and vegetarian, with all of its products also excluding alcohol. It’s an aspect that has worked in their favour in terms of adding an extra level to their gap in the market.
“We have heard how cafe culture is becoming a bigger thing in Manchester,” Pavinder says of how customers are choosing to spend their time. “A lot of younger people don’t want to drink alcohol, but they still want to go out and enjoy themselves at night. Somewhere like this where people can go for a chai and a small bite to eat are proving to be very popular with that crowd right now.”
The Changing Curry Mile
Another attempt to keep up with the times has been the changing face of the Curry Mile. Whilst it has undergone a shift in identity in recent years, Mohammad says it's still busy enough to make a success out of business. "It’s much busier now than in recent years," he suggests. "To me, the area has always been busy but you see it now on the roads - there are people enjoying themselves until about 3am."
New Ownership, Same Quality
Original Ambala founder Mohammed Ali Khan died in 2023, and last year the company was bought by Cake Box as part of a multi-million-pound-deal. Thankfully, the team at the Manchester store said they feel the new ownership has seen the importance in what Ambala does and allowed it to carry on how it does things with little in the way of change.
“There is a reason the shop has lasted so long,” Pavinder says. “There is a level of trust from people in what we do. People know what to expect, so you can’t just go changing it. People wouldn’t be happy.”
Expanding Across the North
But that expansion of operations does mean that Ambala can grow to become bigger and better. Alongside nearby sites in Preston and Bradford, it also recently opened new spots in Rochdale and Oldham last month with many more openings nationwide coming up.
“We do try to keep up with what people want today, but we also strive on being very traditional about what we do,” Pavinder says. “We have been here since 1965 - that’s 61 years. The quality has always remained the same. When you last that long, we like to think it means you know what you’re doing and people know what to expect from you.”
Ambala is on 227 Wilmslow Rd, Manchester, M14 5AG.
