Chop are a Bengali snack brought about during the British rule in Kolkata, where local chefs would come up with Indianised versions of traditional British dishes. What started out as a rissole in the UK became a fried potato cake stuffed with spiced minced lamb, banana blossom or jackfruit in Kolkata. Watching my mum make the banana blossom version as a child, I asked if we could stuff the chop with cheddar cheese instead. The answer was a resounding yes – they’ve been on my birthday menu for the last 30 years.