The proof read version of my blog this morning. Whoops Thanks Caro

I want to tell you a story of how a tiny restaurant has changed the lives of so many. A restaurant that has fed tens of thousands of people, and brought smiles to the faces of those they have visited this past year. 


Up until a few months ago I didn't know what they were up to, but I'm so happy to have played just a small part in what they have achieved so far. 


“@Love_SE4”, the Twitter account I set up just two years ago next month, has introduced me to so many wonderful people, none more so than than the owners and staff of Panas Gurkha Restaurant on Lee High Rd in Lewisham. 


Owners Sujan and his wife Bandana, chefs Ram and Saroj, general manager Amrit and his son Anikait, and Sujan and Bandana's beautiful children Shivang and Subani are, in my opinion, LEGENDS. 


Early one morning I spotted one of their tweets, started following and commented on the amazing work they were doing. They sent me a direct message and we have been friends ever since. Back then they were feeding the homeless in Deptford with Michelin star chef Atul Kochhar, a man who's food I have admired since seeing him one morning on Saturday Kitchen (I love a curry!). 


I was so impressed by their tweet explaining how they would go out of their way to do such a lovely thing. Anyone who does something nice for our community deserves to be recognised and celebrated if you ask me, and always deserves a retweet from me. So that’s exactly what I did. I then had a scroll through their feed and was even more amazed to find out about what else they were up to.  


Since the first lockdown began they have been preparing hundreds of meals a day and then delivering them personally to hospitals, charities, foodbanks and more recently, vaccination hubs as well. 


Over 700 delicious meals have been prepared every day for a year. Just wow. 


How can you not be impressed by this generosity? Not just Sujan, but his wife and the whole team at the restaurant have worked so hard every single day. Long hours, believe me, I’ve been there. Support for what the restaurant were doing grew with firm fans of the restaurant  Coronation Street’s Sally Lindsay and her partner Steve White (who used to be the drummer with the Style Council) no less. Taking the lead. They have done a brilliant job of spreading the word about what’s been going on.


In one of our many conversations with Sujan at the start of our friendship he asked me what else I was up to, and when I told him I volunteered twice a week at Evelyn Community Store in Deptford, the next morning he was there with loads of t shirts and hoodies, and bags of food for all the volunteers. 


We had spoken many times on the phone previously, but never actually met. That day we hit it off immediately. It was like meeting an old friend I've known for years. It was then that things started to snowball. I tweeted, he did the same, and it wasn't long before life changed for all of us. Our tweets were seen by one of my followers, James, and it snowballed from there. James happens to work for the British Army and was once stationed at Woolwich Barracks, home to the Gurkha Regiment. 


So impressed with what they were doing, he got in touch, and it wasn't long before they also got a visit with some delicious meals from the restaurant. James of course tweeted about this and it was seen by long-time supporter of the Regiment - the brilliant Joanna Lumley, and she too decided to get in touch and of course, she ordered some food. 


I never thought two years ago I would be meeting her. But that’s exactly what happened three weeks ago when they hit their target of 100,000 free meals.  I was invited to attend the Barracks and finally met James for the first time. It’s nice to put faces to followers.


BBC London also saw it and they got in touch. ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News all followed suit, and the news was spread far and wide. Other things started to happen behind the scenes that none of us could have expected. Sujan and his wife’s family have relatives in India and they got in touch and decided to deliver some food to Joanna’s home town of Srinagar in the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. Off they went with sacks of rice and other goodies which were distributed to the many thankful residents of this small town. 


Since being on the news Panas' charity Helping Hands has had donations from far and wide. And some of that money is being used to help others in the community that need it most. Help Lewisham Hospital is one example, were desperate for cold drinks, and one tweet later Sujan was off to the cash and carry and soon arrived with a boot full to give to them. Twitter can be a force for good and has amazed me at how many people respond in such a short time to any requests for help in the community. 


The target of 100,000 meals in a year is truly outstanding from such a tiny restaurant on Lee High Rd. The joy it has brought to so many will long live in the memories of those who were lucky enough to sample the food being cooked every day. I helped out a couple of times in the kitchen, and believe me it’s a lot of work. The whole team at Panas really deserve all the praise they are getting. Lots of late nights and early mornings. They have helped so many. 


The restaurant getting ready to reopen its doors in May will bring more change as they are now gutting the restaurant to make it even bigger, with a fresh new look and exceptional new dishes to try. I am slowly eating my way through the whole menu and everything I have tried so far has been divine. When they reopen I highly recommend you book a table and try some yourselves (or order a takeaway). They have helped us this past year. Soon it will be our turn to show them how much it has meant to all of us. Without customers on seats they, like so many other restaurants, cannot survive.  


I've made new friends, found a fabulous restaurant and helped in a tiny way to make their dreams come true. I’m proud to know them and even prouder of all they have achieved. Helping Hands, their charity, has my full support and everyone at the restaurant is honoured to have Joanna as patron. Work goes on and they are still out every day helping others.


So here’s to Panas Gurkha Restaurant - a shining example of human kindness at its best. Long may they continue. 


Now, where’s that takeaway menu? Writing this has made me hungry

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