About Us

The new family is now made up of Dipti and Jigna (far right and far left in the photo), Archana (or “Pinkie”, 2nd from the right), Jaymini (or “Ackie”, 2nd from the left), and Salma (or “Kakoo”, not pictured).

A bit more about Pete…

Pete was born in Barkingside and has lived in and around the area for most of his life – with the exception of a couple of years when he lived with Dipti in East Ham. He went to Redbridge Infants, Redbridge Juniors, and then Beal High School, finishing up doing a National Diploma in Musical Instrument Technology (making violins) at London Guildhall University. He then went on to work for a local musical instrument shop and a local computer training company, before getting the job with British Steel in London.

Pete’s mum and step-dad, Margaret and Graham (shown below), moved to Scotland about six years ago to escape the strains and stresses of London life. Graham was one of Pete's Best Men at their wedding. Pete and Dips can often be found jumping on an easyJet plane to fly up for a long weekend to pay them a visit. As you can imagine, with such beautiful Scottish scenery, clean air, delicious food and amazing hospitality, Pete and Dips really have to force themselves to book the trips…!

Pete’s love of cars undoubtedly comes from his dad, Ian, who has built, maintained and restored cars for as long as anyone cares to remember. Over the years, Pete has had some interesting, and not-so-interesting models.

Ian, Peter's Dad, shown below with his partner Barbara,

Both Ian and Peter have been looking into their ancestors and the history of the Streatfield name recently, with some interesting results. The name essentially means that the Streatfields were owners of land, next to a Roman road. However, it also turns out that we once had a castle in Kent, helped out in the Battle of Hastings, have our very own family coat of arms, crest and a family motto: “Data fata secutus” – “To follow one’s destiny”. (Click here to find out more).

lives in South London with Barbara and his double garage full of complete and incomplete cars. He’ll be Pete’s Best Man at the wedding.

About Us

Most of you reading this will probably know Mr and Mrs Streatfield quite well already, but we bet there are some things you don’t know!

For example, did you know that Pete and Dips met in 1998 whilst at work? Up until September that year, Pete had worked for British Steel in London and he had just transferred to Capgemini as part of a huge outsourcing deal. Part of the change-over included the introduction of some new staff into his team, and it was at this point that he was introduced to the latest recruit – the delightful Dipti. They immediately hit it off and became good friends, and in April 1999 Dips invited Pete out to dinner with her sisters to celebrate her birthday. What followed were several months of courting, and on the 24th July 1999, Pete invited Dips to an outdoor classical concert and champagne picnic at Kenwood House, where they cemented their feelings for each other and officially became an item.

Interestingly, Pete, Dips and Mya were ALL born on a Thursday (which is no surprise, as everything important happens on a Thursday according to Douglas Adams, one of Pete’s favourite authors). However, were you aware that Peter is actually Dipti’s toy boy? They are both 1970s children, with Dipti born on 22nd April 1971, and Peter on 10th May 1973. Pete revels in the three weeks every year between their birthdays when he is officially 3 years younger! Mind you, despite the huge age gap, they have many common interests, including sharing a love of travelling and sight-seeing - they’ve been to quite a few places together…(hover over the images to find out where!)

Between them they’ve lived in three houses over the last seven years, but they moved into their current home in Barkingside on 13th November 2002. Sharing a love of cooking, the kitchen was the first room to be tackled, and with a little help from the company Pete’s step-dad Graham works for up in Scotland, it was transformed into a chef’s dream! Since then the upstairs has been renovated to include a brand new nursery, study, lovely new bathroom, and a revamped master bedroom.

Both Peter and Dipti love reading, but it is Dipti who is rarely seen without a heavy book in her hands. She has amassed quite a large collection of fantasy books over the last few years, her favourite authors being Robin Hobb, J R Tolkien, David Gemmel, Raymond Feist and Eoin Colfer.

Rubens Barrichello during his Ferrari days

It is quite common knowledge that Pete dislikes most sports with a vengeance; however he enjoys most motor sport and in particular Formula 1. Going to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone with his dad, Ian, has become somewhat of tradition over the last few years - the allure of a tray of Pataks curry served with a pint of warm Fosters in a plastic cup has proven just too much to ignore. Dipti has slowly been brainwashed over the last couple of years and can now be found at Pete’s side during races on TV riveted to the action (her favourite is Rubens Barrichello).

At weekends, Pete and Dips like to relax and unwind and devote their time to their daughter Mya Zara, who was born on the 15th June 2006. They still like to garden, play on the computer, go shopping, cook and entertain when they can.

Peter proposed to Dipti on 23rd October 2003 whilst on holiday in South Arfrica with Margaret and Graham. They married in Maidens Barn, surrounded by family and friends, on Sunday 19th September 2004.

A bit more about Dipti…

Prompted by Ian and Peter’s discoveries, Dipti attempted to find out more about the family name Patel. Knowing that the name’s origins lay in the region of India called Gujarat, Patels would tradition

10 Things About Dipti

She is one of two sisters,
and has 2 step sisters and one half-step sister

She loves savoury food, particularly seafood

She was born in Kenya, and moved to the UK when she was 13

She has a perfect set of teeth
(not a single filling!)

She is 4’ 9½”

She is a compulsive reader

Her favourite colour is sky blue

She hates the cold with a vengeance

She used to collect stamps as a child

She has a scar on top of her head following a fight with her sister, Jigna, as a child

10 Things About Peter

He is an only child,
and has a step-brother and step-sister

He loves all sweet things, particularly chocolate

He is a born and bred Essex boy
(but has never owned a Capri)

He can play the piano and violin
(but hasn’t played either for some time)

He is 6’ 2”

He loves seafood

His favourite colour is electric blue

He is a gadget-freak

His middle name is John

He has an artificial secondary lens
implanted in his right eye

ally have been those appointed by the ruler to maintain a record of the annual crops of each Pat (or parcel of land). Historically, most Indian names originate from their caste, religion, hometown, or indeed were made up from scratch! (Click here for more information).

Dipti came to the UK from Kenya in 1984, leaving her mum and sister behind, and stayed with her grandparents. She went to St Andrews Girls High School, and then Greenwich University where she completed a degree in Computer Science, and made many good friends. Dips worked for a local shoe shop, Argos and Boots prior to joining Capgemini in 1997.

Dipti’s dad passed away in 1982, and once Dipti had settled in the UK, her sister Jigna joined her here in 1989 with her mum (shown left) following shortly afterwards. Dipti’s mum, Pratima, married Mahendra in 1992 and the new extended family have lived in or around East Ham ever since.