A Muslim couple moved to Briton from Srilanka where they both worked to have a happy living. they were more srilankans than british, their eating habits, lifestyle was alike to lankans. The couple had a baby girl SHAZIA SALEEM who was one among the many second generation British muslim citizens. their habits and life style too resembled british however they had to compromise on several things like keeping themselves away from the non-halal ready made foods etc.
Eureka there it struck SHAZIA who desired to eat the traditional British and Italian cuisines could not do it because they were not halal and right their during here graduation she decided she would do some thing different like estd her brand of halal ready to cook food.
The bigger story is that she spotted both a gap in the market and a way to celebrate the two parts of her cultural identity - being British and a Muslim
The 29-year-old from Luton is the founder of newly launched ready-meals business Ieat Foods (as in "I eat"), which makes a range of traditional British and Italian dishes - such as shepherd's pie and lasagne - prepared in the halal manner - according to Islamic dietary law.
Ms Saleem first came up with the idea for the company when she was at Warwick University eight years ago, because she was fed up with having to buy vegetarian food to avoid non-halal meals.
"Most of my friends at university were non-Muslims, and when we did a weekly food shop together their trolleys were full of really tasty-looking ready meals, and all I could buy were things like cheese and onion pasties," she says.
"It was really frustrating, and I used to whinge a lot that I was missing out. I thought, why wasn't anyone making halal ready meals, other than the odd curry?
"That was when I decided I needed to do something about it. While moonlighting on other things, I then spent the next eight years putting together all the pieces of the jigsaw that needed to be in place before I launched Ieat."
early in her career she worked with jones on entrepreneur pitching up iin BBC tv after two years she resigned her job at the age of 25 went to cambodia and invested in a run-down holiday resort. Many laughed at her move but she was determined where the resort gained profit and later she sold her share and started her dream project Ieat foods after she was inspired by her father to do it. he expired in the year 2013.
Ms Saleem conducted market research, which showed there were thousands of second-generation UK Muslims like her who wanted to buy halal ready-meal versions of traditional British and Italian dishes, made from all natural ingredients, and that tasted good.
"The first generation of Muslims who came to this country typically would have stuck to the food they were used to," she says. "But us younger Muslims want to try different types of foods, we want to eat the 'normal' foods that British people do.
"Ieat gives those that follow the halal rules a convenient and healthy chance to do so."
With just five employees at present, Ms Saleem has big plans to expand Ieat Foods.
"I get my ambition from my parents, who came to this country from Sri Lanka with nothing and both worked multiple jobs to make a good life for themselves and their family," she says.
"And my faith and my British identity is why I'm doing this particular business. I'm just mixing the two."
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