Buckland takeaway team donates 50 Iftar packages to key workers at Portsmouth hospitals during Ramadan

New Taj Mahal Indian takeaway in Kingston Road, which delivered more than 100 curries to Queen Alexandra Hospital last month, continued their kind giving by preparing 50 iftar packages to share as part of their charitable giving during Ramadan.

Shared between Starfish children’s ward at the Cosham hospital and Orchards mental health unit at St James’ Hospital in Milton, the meals were an example of Iftar - the meal eaten by Muslim people breaking their fast during Ramadan which began on April 23.

Takeaway owner Salim Miah, whose family has run the establishment for many years, said: ‘It was definitely an uplifting experience being able to help the community again and thank the NHS workers for all their hard work during these difficult times.

‘I am glad I was able to share our religion and culture, by wishing everyone a Ramadan Mubarak and being able to provide them with Iftar meals to break their fast with.’

The meal included lamb biryani, chickpea masala, chicken tikka and various fruits and water for the hardworking medical staff to tuck into and enjoy.

New Taj Mahal closed for one week at the beginning of lockdown, but soon got back to serving up takeaways to Portsmouth residents.

The team were keen to show their gratitude for key workers toiling on the frontline during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as share a part of their culture during Ramadan, which will end on May 23.

Mr Miah added: ‘A lot of my customers work in the NHS. They’re doing hard work, they’re the heroes and they’re risking their lives so we should do what we can do. I’m sure a lot of them don’t have time to eat or make food.

‘As a family-run Indian business from 1962, we want to help Portsmouth.

‘We want to help when we can by lifting spirits with food, something we all have in common regardless of the difficulties we are having to source all the ingredients.’

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.