Dive into the success story of Bombay Halwa Limited, the UK’s most prominent authentic Indian dessert manufacturer, and Indian sweet maker
The origins of Bombay Halwa Limited can be credited to the renowned UK-based businessman and entrepreneur, the late Lord Noon Kt, MBE. He had founded and operated several major food manufacturing companies in London, specializing in ready meals, Indian sweets, savories, and aviation catering. Lord Noon was the Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Bombay Halwa Limited, a leading manufacturer of authentic Indian sweets, snacks, dairy products and a major provider for aviation catering. As a boy, Lord Noon worked in his grandfather’s shops in Bombay, before taking them over at the age of 17 and changing their name to Royal Sweets. In the early 1970s, he came to the UK with £50 in his pocket and set up a new business, Bombay Halwa Limited, opening a shop in Southall, London. Zeenat Harnal, the current Chairperson at Bombay Halwa Limited and daughter of the late Lord Noon Kt, MBE, retraces the company’s journey from that point.
“Family-owned and run, our ethnic foods company was founded in 1973 by my father, Lord Noon. Starting out with a handful of employees, we have since
progressed to having second and third generations of the same families as part of our workforce. Our staff are on board with everything we do, as we firmly believe that by looking after our employees, they will reciprocate that care towards us. Fifty years ago, we opened our very first outlet on The Broadway in Southall, London, and it has since grown entirely organically. Originally, we operated from two sites located on Bridge Road and Merrick Road in Southall. Following a business restructuring in May 2017, all our operations moved to the Bridge Road facility, where we introduced a brand new, purpose-built factory for the production of onion puree.
“Today, we stand as the original UK manufacturer of Indian sweets, desserts, and savory items, marketed under the Royal Sweets brand. We continue to honor Lord Noon’s heritage, and the blueprint for success that he laid out for the business puts us in a strong position for future growth. Notably, we are famous for introducing, naming, and popularizing the Indian snack ‘Bombay Mix’ in the UK. After the pandemic, we expanded our ready meal line to include British and international favorites alongside our existing Indian dishes. My father built a great foundation for us to take the business forward, and I am pleased to have taken the company to new heights,” she expresses.
High-quality cuisine
Over nearly five decades in business, Bombay Halwa Limited has evolved and refined its processes and operations. Zeenat tells us more about the company’s current structure. “Operating from our original base in Southall, we now have three specialized factories to keep product lines separate. A shared passion for good food unites all our operations. In fact, our ethos encompasses prioritizing quality, with the core belief that if we cannot eat our own products, we should not be selling them to our customers. In line with this philosophy, our production is chef-driven, using only the finest ingredients to maintain authentic flavors, spices, and cooking methods. Although we have embraced automation, certain products, like our vegetable samosas, are still hand-wrapped by our skilled staff. We aim to provide discerning customers with genuine flavors from India and around the world, consistently delivering high-quality cuisine at competitive prices. From a commercial perspective, we operate through three distinct business divisions: Royal Sweets, our brand of ethnic sweets, desserts and snacks; specialized food production catering to wholesale ingredient supply or pre-prepared products, including a dedicated relationship with Pilgrims Food Masters (previously Kerry Food); and Noon Air Kitchen Limited (NAKL), offering catering services and meals to the airline industry,” she explains.
Bombay Halwa Limited manufactures a wide range of products, including ethnic snacks, kulfi ice creams, specialist meals, yoghurts, paneer, onion puree, plain and stuffed paratha breads, and dips. Zeenat provides more comprehensive insights into the diversity of the company’s offerings. “As a food manufacturer, we have the unique advantage of being the only large-scale Indian desserts producer in the UK. Likewise, we are the sole major manufacturer of chilled onion puree in the country, facing competition exclusively from frozen puree manufacturers in Asia and ambient puree producers in Europe. Additionally, we differentiate ourselves through the wide array of products crafted across our divisions. Some of our top offerings include rassomalai, a dairy-based dessert nominated as one of the UK’s top ten dairy products by the Independent in 2003; gulabjam, a famous dessert in Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi restaurants in the UK; and onion puree.
“Moreover, we provide a selection of Halal ready meals to our supermarket clientele under the Royal Sweets label. We have an exclusive partnership with one of the UK’s fastest growing ready meal brands, whereby we solely manufacture meals, which are rich in protein, to a high standard of nutrition and ship them weekly. Presently, we supply our vegetable, plant-based, lamb, and chicken samosas under Waitrose’s own brand, with talks underway for the launch of additional ready meals anticipated in September 2025. Lidl is another important retail partner we enjoy a strong relationship with, as we manufacture meals under the Lidl brand. Finally, Noon Products, owned by Pilgrims Food Masters, has been both a key customer and supplier to us for the past 35 years. Our supplies, spanning onion puree, dips, yoghurt, paneer, chickpeas, and koftas, play an integral role in the creation of its ready meals,” she elaborates.
Commitment to excellence
With such a versatile product lineup and valued partnerships with leading retailers, Bombay Halwa Limited is dedicated to ensuring each of its items meet the highest food safety standards. “We apply and monitor in real time food safety standards like the internationally recognized Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). This preventive and science-based system identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards that are significant for food safety, covering the entire food production process from raw materials to distribution and consumption. We also have a stringent quality control and testing program in place to guarantee that only safe and highest quality products are released to the market. Additionally, our site is regularly audited by government and other external bodies to ensure ongoing compliance to food safety and quality standards. Teamwork, engagement, ownership, and support are vital elements for achieving our commitment to excellence and quality objectives. Indeed, to never compromise on the safety, compliance, and quality of our products and services, we need all employees to be engaged, understand their responsibility, and act to protect our customers. Our food safety management system guarantees food safety, compliance with quality standards, and creates value for consumers. Starting with farmers, growers, and suppliers, our approach to food safety covers the entire supply chain, following rigorous procurement and auditing processes to ensure safe and high-quality raw materials are selected. This includes defining specifications for the materials we use and performing checks to make sure they always comply with the most stringent regulations and the latest scientific knowledge,” Zeenat continues.
Beyond abiding by internationally recognized standards, Bombay Halwa Limited applies Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure quality and food safety. “GMP encompass all aspects of manufacturing, including standard operating procedures, personnel management and training, equipment maintenance, and material handling. Within our manufacturing facility, we maintain a focus on safety and quality. The facility is designed to prevent foreign object contamination, manage allergens and meat species, and oversee pest control. Furthermore, it is built according to precise prerequisites, ensuring a clean and secure water supply, air filtration, waste management, and a setup that guarantees the safety of materials, equipment, and the manufacturing environment to produce goods of the highest safety standards. Dedicated areas within the facility, such as the warehouse, low-risk zones, high-care zones, and dispatch areas, along with equipment and utensils for different ingredients, are in place to prevent cross-contamination. In addition, validated cleaning practices are employed at every step of production, and our team members undergo training to fully adhere to GMP principles,” she emphasizes.
Investing in innovation
To further improve its manufacturing both in terms of quality and efficiency, Bombay Halwa Limited has made significant investments in new machinery in the last five years, while constantly reinvesting profits back into the business. “This year, we have already invested in two new packing lines for ready meals, poised to increase our production capacity by 50 percent. We are also investing in more efficient cooking equipment that will double our output. Other recent and upcoming investments include sealing machines for prepacked mithais, an automated kebab and jalebi manufacturing machine, and more efficient chillers and freezers, among others,” Zeenat ends.
Bombay Halwa Limited’s legacy of quality and family-centric values has cemented its status as a true icon of ethnic cuisine in the UK.