Lord Gulam Noon, who produces 1.5 million curries a week for various food brands, launched ‘Royal Halal’ meals under his own family-owned brand at the company headquarters, Bombay Halwa in Southall, Middlesex.
Royal Halal is a range of premium frozen ready-cooked meals that promise quality and the authentic taste of home-cooked food. Consistent with Bombay Halwa’s philosophy of product innovation and evolution, the Royal Halal meals come in four distinct flavours – Saag Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Kadhai Chicken and Butter Chicken, with Baghara Rice as an accompaniment to all meals.
Talking about the new range, Lord Noon, Chairman and Managing Director, Bombay Halwa, said that the time was right for a premium quality Halal food product to be launched in the UK market. “We have been closely surveying and monitoring the market for a few years now and know that the word ‘Halal’ has become very buoyant in the Muslim community. The Royal Halal dishes are mainly targeted at this community, but are not necessarily only for them. These are indeed for anyone who likes quality meat dishes,” he said.
“In the Royal Halal range, there are no artificial colours or added preservatives. This is very important, as sometimes, preservatives may become non-Halal,” Lord Noon added. His vision for this product is to see it being distributed not just in the UK, but also in Europe and the Middle East.
As an accompaniment to these meals, Bombay Halwa has also launched Royal Paranthas. “These are as easy to toast as slices of bread and act as an ideal accompaniment to the Halal meals or can be enjoyed by themselves as a snack,” said Executive Chef, Jayan Nambiar. The Chef also shared his experience of having developed and produced the Royal Halal range.
“These meals are cooked in a very traditional manner, just as you would at home. There are no shortcuts or ready-mixes used in the preparation and even though we cook these in large quantities, the aim has always been to try and retain the taste of home-cooked food,” he added.
The Royal Halal range is already available through various independent retailers and cash-and-carry stores and Bombay Halwa is in advanced talks with multiples and supermarkets.
The range, produced by Bombay Halwa, joins other fine products under the Royal brand, including Indian sweets, savoury snacks, pickles, chutneys and sauces, among others. Shabbir Kanchwala, Assistant Managing Director, Bombay Halwa, was also present at the occasion and gave an interesting snapshot of the journey of Bombay Halwa – from its humble beginnings in 1973 to the vast food empire that it is today.
