A new business is delivering nutritional meals to the doors of elderly and vulnerable people in Barking and Dagenham.

Run by husband and wife team Mizan and Lutfun Rahman, Nancy’s Larder launched this month and has already begun delivering hot meals to customers in the borough.

Mr Rahman, who has run Barking business Star Ice Creams for two decades, said: “We have always had a passion for the creation of food, especially desserts, but our dream has always been to help others and to make people happy.

“We wanted to use the joy we gained from making desserts and use that as the inspiration for creating healthy, tasty lunches and dinners that can improve the lives of people in our communities.”

Nancy's Larder, which currently employs four staff at its Barking Business Centre base in Thames Road, offers 25 different meals and delivers for free every day.

The service uses fresh ingredients each day and delivers meals hot so there is no need to reheat, which maximizes the nutritional value of the food.

“It isn’t just about delivering a nutritional hot meal every day, though that is important,” Mr Rahman said.

“Often our staff are the only people some of our customers will see and chat to for days at a time.

“It is crucial for the mental health of vulnerable or elderly people to have regular human contact and, of course, having someone check on your loved one daily is really important.”

According to Age UK, more than two million people in England over the age of 75 live alone.

More than a million older people say they go for at least a month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member, which has only increased during the pandemic.

It also estimates about one in 10 people older than 65 are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.

The Barking and Dagenham service is a new Nancy’s Larder franchise, based on a successful model that has been running in Hull for the past three years.

Dishes on the menu, which changes every week, include lamb hotpot, sausage and mash, cottage pie and fish in parsley sauce.

Visit barkinganddagenham.nancyslarder.com or call 0203 302 6866 to find out more.