Cost of living: Restaurant serves up 1,000 free Christmas dinners despite 'no profit' for months

Mumtaz handed out thousands of meals on Christmas Day last year and is preparing to do the same again in 2022.

A restaurant is to dish out 1,000 free meals on Christmas Day despite making "no profit" for six months due to the cost of living crisis.

The owner of Mumtaz in Leeds said he wanted to "bring back that Christmas spirit" at a difficult time.

The restaurant is one of number of organisations in Yorkshire supplying free food to people who are struggling.

A Sheffield food bank said it was handing out twice as many Christmas dinners this year than in 2021.

Meanwhile, a man who has arranged for free meals to be delivered to 145 pensioners in North Lincolnshire said it was "scary" how many people needed a helping hand.

Bob Riach, of Scunthorpe, said many of the pubs and restaurants providing the food were also struggling but still wanted to do their bit.

'People can't afford it'

Mumtaz, a Kashmiri restaurant in Leeds Dock, has seen its utilities bill rocket from £4,000 to £16,000 a month, according to co-owner Asad Arif.

The restaurant has also been hit by falling customer bookings, increased supply costs and the impact of train strikes.

Mr Arif said: "We've made no money in the last six months. We've met the bills but there's no profit there whatsoever.

"It's December, it should be silly busy, but we've noticed that people are spending that little bit less. People are wanting to have treats, Christmas parties, but they can't afford it."

He said this decline in consumer spending had been "a nightmare" for the business, but also made its owners and staff - who also handed out free food last Christmas - more determined to help.

They will prepare biryani, curry and sundries for 1,000 people to collect from the restaurant between midday and 2pm on 25 December. If more people turn up, chefs will be on hand in the kitchen to cook extra food.

"The main thing, for us, is just to bring back that Christmas spirit, that Christmas joy," Mr Arif said. "It's quite clear everyone is struggling for money.

"It's not supposed to be doom and gloom, we're here to help."

Mumtaz in Leeds Dock will hand out at least 1,000 meals on Christmas Day

Sue Rose, who runs the S2 Food Bank in Sheffield, said she had seen a "massive increase" in the number of people unable to afford food, in many cases because rising gas and electric prices had pushed them into poverty.

On Thursday, the food bank handed out Christmas dinner packages - including pork, stuffing, fresh vegetables and Christmas pudding - to 93 households. This was more than double the 46 lunches it supplied last year.

Ms Rose: "It's been on the increase for a while and it will sadly continue."

S2 Food Bank has been handing out packages to more than twice as many people this winter.

Many of the food bank's users were "desperate" even for basics such as salt and tomato sauce, Ms Rose said. She recalled one day in December in which six women broke down in tears while collecting food.

Meanwhile, donations to food bank have gone down "because people are watching their pennies," Ms Rose said.

She added: "I've been doing this for nine years and I'm quite an optimistic person but I feel quite depressed with it at the minute."

In Scunthorpe, Mr Riach, his partner Jo Bird and his son Andy have been coordinating volunteers who will deliver Christmas dinner to 145 households in the town and surrounding villages.

Mr Riach, 68, appealed on social media for nominations of elderly people or couples who would be spending Christmas Day alone.

Bob Riach has arranged for 145 elderly people or couples to receive free Christmas dinners

Twelve restaurants have offered to cook the food and will be funding 10 meals each, with the rest paid for by donations raised by Mr Riach's family. More than 30 people have volunteered to deliver the meals on Christmas Eve so they can be reheated and enjoyed the next day.

Mr Riach, who provided a similar service during lockdown, said: "Times are hard so I thought let's maybe try and do something else."

The mortgage adviser was taken aback by the response to his appeal.

He said: "I can't believe how many people we've got who are on their own, who haven't got families around them. It's scary, really.

"The response has been terrific, especially from the venues because times are hard for them too.

"One of the venues said, 'We'd love to do it but we're struggling.' So I said we've raised some funds, you cook the food and we'll pay for it. So it helps everybody."