THE boss of an Indian restaurant said it has 'learned from our mistakes' after improving its food hygiene score.

Fahsin Ahmed, the manager of Taj Mahal on Cavendish Street, Barrow, admitted they have 'not had an easy time' after receiving a one out of five food hygiene rating and losing its premises licence in 2023 following two Home Office raids. 

"We have retrained," Mr Ahmed said. "We have made sure all our staff have gone through their health and hygiene courses." 

The original report, from an inspection in June 2023, called the level of food hygiene awareness among staff 'inadequate.' The most recent inspection, on August 15, upgraded the restaurant's score from one to four giving it a 'good' rating.

It has also regained its premises licence after losing it following raids in April 2023 and October 2022 which the Home Office said resulted in the arrests of four suspected illegal workers. 

The Home Office claimed in a licensing meeting the restaurant faced a total of £40,000 in fines following the raids. 

Mr Ahmed said the business has had a presence in Barrow for over 30 years. 

"We have had numerous challenges," Mr Ahmed said. "We have not had an easy time - we learned from our mistakes." 

Mr Ahmed added the restaurant has a 'lot of plans' for the future and that it was looking to expand and diversify the business. 

According to Mr Ahmed, their menu offers a 'vast' range of dishes across different spices. Along with classics such as butter chicken, masala and jalfrezi, the eatery also offers slow-cooked lamb shanks and a Sri Lankan dish. 

Between Taj Mahal and Mithali, a takeaway which is under the same owner, Mr Ahmed said the business employs 15 people.