NHS Badge, Stethoscope

I am a pharmacist working in primary care for the local Integrated Care Board.

Since entering this career I have been through a Prescriber Course and worked in many clinical areas such as Respiratory and Diabetes. I now offer specialist support to GP’s for complicated Type 2 Diabetes cases.

I studied pharmacy for four years at Keele University. I am proud to work for the NHS, especially after the difficult years of the pandemic where business as usual stopped and myself and colleagues helped with the vaccination drive.

My wand and wizard envelope hand crafted by Giacomo, and jumper

I am a MASSIVE Harry Potter fan. Growing up my Mum would buy me and my brother Bilal a new Harry Potter book each. We used to finish reading it on the same day it launched.

My husband Giacomo also loves Harry Potter. He is very talented when it comes to calligraphy so we have had a few Harry Potter themed parties at our house with invitations to Hogwarts that he made and displayed around.

He also carved me a wand out of a wooden stick he found in the garden as a gift. The wand chooses the wizard… or is hand-crafted by your husband.

After doing the quiz on JK Rowling’s website Pottermore the sorting hat chose Gryffindor for me and Giacomo. Thankfully neither of us got Slytherin.

My pair of ‘much loved’ Dr Martens

When I was a child I remember my Mum buying me Dr. Martens regularly. Growing up I was required to wear certain clothes especially when going to learn the Quran. This would include a headscarf and usually salwar kameez (traditional, long, modest Asian dress). However, there were no specific requirements for my footwear. I thought I was the coolest cat in town with my salwar kameez and my Dr Martens underneath.

As I grew up I aspired to buy my own pair of Dr Martens. I remember always believing that they were exactly my style. I’ve only ever bought one pair. They are completely ruined and worn in but I adore them. I just wouldn’t wear them with my salwar kameez anymore.

African bangles and clothes

My Dad was born in Kenya and my Mum was born in Tanzania, so there is a strong African influence in my family. In our family repertoire we all know a lot of Punjabi songs, but there are also some songs we sing in Swahili too.

The African influence is mostly evident in our food and language. So many family recipes are fusions of both Punjabi and African cuisine.

Growing up, my Mum and Dad used Swahili as their secret language so unfortunately me and my siblings only know a few words and a few songs. We were so frustrated at not being able to understand what they were saying.

Now my husband and I speak Italian between ourselves e ora sono loro che non capiscono niente.

Mount Vesuvius, Cornetto, gestures book, scarf, view from Cicerale

I feel I have inherited the Italian identity. Every year Giacomo and I travel to see his family in Napoli.

The first time I visited, my mother in law shouted down from a window “Mamma mia”, it felt like I was in a film. My in-laws call me Amnarella out of affection and to give me a piece of Neapolitan identity. Even our niece Edi calls me Zia Rella (Auntie Rella). Italian people all have Saint Days, but unsurprisingly there is no St Amna, so I have adopted St Anna. Every year on 26th July I get a load of texts wishing me a happy St Anna’s day, I find it hilarious. I’ve picked up Neapolitan hand gestures whereby we can nonverbally communicate and was even given a book of gestures to learn from my father in law.

I hope when Giacomo and I have kids they speak Italian, Neapolitan and Punjabi.

Assorted paper artworks from Giacomo

On every occasion such as a birthday or anniversary my husband makes me a card or even a cotton heart like the one here for our cotton anniversary. I’m always amazed at the effort he puts in.

Giacomo is the kindest person I know. He is thoughtful, caring and has been my backbone through some difficult times. I feel so grateful to have such an incredible partner to lean on through life.

I remember the early days of our marriage when Giacomo used to always hug and kiss me in public. Coming from a conservative Muslim household I was not used to public displays of affection and told him that. He never listened and I just got used to the fact that he is a passionate Italian man. I just hope no one notices when he squeezes my cheeks and kisses me at family events.

My Quran

The Quran is the most important book in my life. As a child my parents made me and my brother Bilal learn it off by heart. Every day after school I would study the Quran after a full day of education. It was hugely demanding. We went through dozens of teachers to help us. One would often go to the toilet and leave his phone and watch outside. Once when he went to the toilet, Bilal and I changed his watch and phone times to two hours ahead, cutting our lesson short. It was a small but significant win.The last teacher we had, Hafiz Syed Yakub, was amazing, fun, approachable and understanding of our waning concentration and he helped us achieve our ultimate goal.

The Quran formed the basis of my life principles and the hours of dedication even helped with memory skills. Although I was frustrated to miss out on other things growing up, I value that time I spent with my brother. We would make our own fun and have code words like “Candy” which meant “skip ahead a couple of verses/pages” when we were left to revise on our own. Sorry Dad.

The BNF

The BNF is essentially the pharmacy bible. Although it gets re-made twice a year, as practices and treatments develop, I have saved this one from the year of my pre-registration exam in 2014. It is littered with colourful tabs that helped me revise.

To be honest I still don’t really know why I chose pharmacy but I am very proud of the achievement that was passing this exam. It has formed my career since.

I always enjoyed reading but through my University years this was my only form of literature. Now that I’ve finished that I’ve gone back to my trusted rom-com books. Thanks Marian Keyes.

An Italian recipe book entitled ‘In Napoli we eat like this’

I love to cook. When I first went to Italy I found myself as an outsider to an Italian family. I didn’t speak Italian at the time and my lifetime of Mum’s cookery lessons certainly hadn’t prepared me to cook authentic Italian food.

Neapolitans, much like Punjabis show love and affection with food.

The moment I knew I had been accepted into Giacomo’s family was the moment his Zietta (Great Aunt) gave me her personal copy of this book. Up until this point, we struggled to communicate with each other, she did not speak English, I did not speak Italian.

Giving me this much loved book, which is the most important recipe book that every Neapolitan household has, was a sign that she had invited me in. A sign that she trusted me to look after her book that she so loved. Sometimes you don’t need words to know that you have been welcomed in.

Wedding dresses for two cultures, united

I got married to Giacomo in 2015. We had our civil and religious ceremonies in Worcestershire followed by a big Asian reception.

We then had a small Italian wedding in Cicerale, a small Italian village where my husband’s family have a summer home for those who couldn’t make it to the UK.

The wedding was so much fun to see the two cultures coming together as a result of our union.

Because there were so many events I was able to have three separate wedding dresses! So lucky!

A box full of bangles alongside an Italian brooch

I love my bangle box. My treasure trove of accessories that I can colour co-ordinate with my Asian outfits for any wedding or party. I love their vibrancy and the sound they make when I wear them, especially when dancing.

My sisters and Mum all have their own bangle boxes too and I am sure it is a common find in many Asian households.

The Italian brooch that sits alongside it is a particularly rare item gifted to me by my mother in law Antonella, or as I call her Mammarella. It is rare because the woman is facing forward and usually in traditional cameo brooches made with coral it is a side profile of the lady. However in this one she is facing slightly forward. I hope that I can continue to look forward like her, with clear vision and tackling life head on.

Cadburys apron, tava, wooden spoon, rolling pin, plate and spoon

I LOVE to cook, it runs in the family. Displayed here is my paternal great grandmother’s spoon and plate from 1878 which has become a family heirloom.

I grew up as the eldest child of five so I think I naturally fell into the habit of cooking for others. My Mum is an incredible cook and spoilt us growing up. I remember her making me my favourite indian dessert at one in the morning! I took on more of the cooking responsibility as I grew up, making dinner for the family and a light meal for my sisters after school. When I moved out, my youngest sister Fatimah who was 12 at the time asked “So who is going to feed us?”

Occasionally, I have put people off food. To this day my brother won’t eat okra curry because at the start of my culinary journey it was one of the only recipes I knew and I made it way too much. The Cadbury’s apron is an apron I use quite a lot, I am very proud to be from Birmingham.