Dundee's Sikh community prepares hundreds of free meals for locals amid cost of living crisis

The Sikh community in Dundee has been preparing hundreds of free meals for charities across the city.

Langar is a communal kitchen where food is prepared and served to anyone in the community regardless of their religion or background. It’s a concept at the core of Sikhism started by the first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

This Langar – or community kitchen – at the Temple has been using donated ingredients to prepare hundreds of vegetarian meals which will be handed out across the city.

Committee member Satwant S Bhachu said: “Langar is prepared communally, anybody can come to the kitchen to prepare Langar and to help out and everybody is welcomed here to eat Langar as well.

“That’s what we do here. It’s a concept of Sikhism, started by Guru Nanak Dev Ji and we are sort of trying to carry it on to help the poor and hungry people.”

The meals have been given to charities such as the Lochee Community Larder

Some 500 vegetarian meals have been lovingly prepared and delivered to different charities across the city, including Grahams Kitchen which feeds the homeless community in the city.

Lochee Community Larder also received the food.

It was welcomed by the charity as they help people cope with the cost of living crisis.

Samantha Hunter, Lochee Community Larder, said: “It’s a meal for everybody, an extra meal and it gives them something different to eat because we give them stuff that they know.

“This is something new, something that they haven’t had from us before, gives them a different culture and it helps, everybody will love it.”

The Sikh community has been in Dundee for 60 years and they say they want to return the kindness that they have received.

Organiser Hardev Bhachu added: “In today’s day and age a lot of people are without food and a lot of people are having to go to foodbanks. So, if we can provide something to them from the Sikh community, that’s what we are trying to do today.

“It’s the smiles on their face and they say thank you and I think they appreciate it a lot so long may it last and I hope to continue with it.”