Haji Azmat is a chef with a difference.

Not only is he handy with a ladle and spoon, the talented cook - one of the top team at the reputable Bradford-based restaurant group Akbar's - is a well-known poet.

"He has got a name for himself in Pakistani poetry circles," explains his boss Shabir Hussain, founder and owner of Akbar's. "He organises a lot of poetry readings and gives readings himself. It is what I would call soulful poetry - he speaks from the soul."

By all accounts, Haji also cooks from the soul, serving up a range of Asian dishes that have secured him an enviable reputation as one of the Akbar's group's senior chefs.

His skills mean he can be called upon to lend his talents in the kitchen at any one of the five Akbar's restaurants across the North of England.

"It is a bit like a football team, with people moving to different places when their skills and expertise are needed," says Shabir, who named the restaurants after his father. "If a senior chef is away, or ill, we bring in another with the same levels of capability to make sure we work to a consistent pace and standard. Or our senior chefs can be asked to inspect a restaurant kitchen, to check all is well."

So, in football terms, Akbar's top chefs can find themselves on the transfer list - albeit temporarily.

Haji has worked for most of the restaurants in the group, which has grown from humble beginnings - it began in 1995 as one small 28-seater eaterie in Leeds Road, Bradford, to the reputable chain it is today.

There are now has two restaurants in Leeds, plus restaurants in York, Sheffield and Manchester. A sixth is due to open at the end of the year in Birmingham, and further restaurants in Glasgow and London are planned.

Born and brought up in Jhelum a city in the northern Punjab province of Pakistan, Haji has worked for Akbar's for seven years, mainly in the Bradford restaurant. "He came over to England to work for me," says Shabir. "He did not work as a cook in Pakistan, so he started as a general kitchen assistant. I trained him to cook and work in the restaurants."

Shabir - himself an expert cook who trained in London - is full of praise for his protégé, whose English is limited.

"He is very calm and organised, and he is very articulate. When cooking he can express clearly exactly what he needs."

The restaurant specialises in sizzling, pan-cooked baltis from the rugged, mountainous region of Baltistan in northern Pakistan. Dishes on the menu also include old favourites madras, vindaloo and korma in a range of meats as well as vegetarian. Other options include desi-apna-style dishes, the most well-know being karahi ghost.

Haji works as one of a four-strong team of chefs, under the direction of respected head chef Talib Hussain. "They all work very well together - it is all about team work and that is very good," adds Shabir. "Our chefs have very good relationships with each other. They are happy - that is why most of them have been with us for a long time."

In his early thirties, Haji lives in Allerton with his wife and son. He is settled in Bradford. "He likes it here and has many friends," adds Shabir.