Lives in a Landscape - Series 6 - A Taste of Home

Alan Dein explores the lives of those making and buying chapattis as Bradford families mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice. The emergence of businesses based solely on providing warm fresh chapattis to accompany meals cooked at home meets a yearning for something provided in Pakistan where such sellers are commonplace. In addition, as Alan discovers, there's a social aspect to the queues forming as all sorts of people wait to take this final part of the meal back home. From Parveen's son, Aman, sent to buy 25 chapattis for a get together involving brothers, sisters, cousins and aunts, to eleven year old Alina, who already has her sights set on following her parents into a legal career and can't wait to get her warm food back home where it will sit alongside a feast prepared for family friends. Thousands of chapattis and nan breads are made at Chach Valley every day by four men, one recently arrived from Pakistan. At Eid, in mid-November, Muslims share food and remind themselves of their own sacrifices. These are hard times in this part of Bradford and cultural and economic pressures leave the older generations worrying about what will happen to the young But the relentless turnover as the chapatti orders flow - each batch carried off to tables across the city - is a reminder of what can bring people together. The ties between families but also the links between communities as those in the snaking queue wait their turn. The popularity of businesses providing chapattis and little else besides has taken many by surprise but whether it's a taste of the past, a sign of the times or just a convenient by product of both it's certainly something exciting and new Producer: Sue Mitchell.