For the first time in its 14 year history, Brighton's Indian Summer restaurant is to open on Christmas Day. Before then, the acclaimed East Street restaurant is to host a special charity lunch in aid of Find Your Feet and Curry Tree good causes on Sunday 17th October.

As the growing trend is for families to eat out on Christmas Day, the award winning restaurant felt unable to resist the pressure from customers to follow suit.

“Regulars have been requesting us to open on Christmas Day for some years and it's something our staff are keen to do,” said the restaurant's co owner Minesh Agnihotri, “It's surprising how many people tell they like the big family gathering, but find the prospect of a dry turkey and bland vegetables underwhelming – others dread all the preparation and washing up.”

Indian Summer will serve a lavish 7-course lunch for £75 a head. The unique Christmas menu features some of the chef's preferred recipes  – the parsnip and cumin soup appetizer is Minesh's personal favourite  – and a blend of authentic Indian dishes with modern European presentation.

Other dishes include Fillet of Mahi mahi fish in a crust of sesame seed & roasted ground spice; Spiced goose breast in a marinade of mustard, yoghurt, black cardamom, cumin, chilli, cinnamon and orange with curry leaf turnip subzi and a spicy apricot fennel sauce; and Coconut uttapam with rose water roasted fruits with coconut sorbet.

Indian Summer offers more fragrantly spiced, authentic regional Indian dishes, as distinct from the heavy pre-made sauces often associated with high street curry house food.

“The dining trend is toward lighter, more refined, genuine cooking from the sub continent - people are aware that we do not employ heavy spicing or bland ready-made base sauces swimming in oil, which is why our Christmas offer is receiving such a great take up,” said Minesh.

Charity Lunch

As part of National Curry Week, Indian Summer is hosting a charity lunch on behalf of the Curry Tree Project and the Find Your Feet charity.  Four dishes served will be Murgh Makhni – a corn fed supreme breast, marinated in Awadhi spice-mix, cooked in the tandoor, served with Makhni sauce; Lamb Zafrani - slow cooked shoulder of lamb in papaya, green mango, black cardamom & yoghurt marinade, served with saffron sauce; Pork Belly Vindaloo – slow cooked pork belly, marinated in roasted goan spices, with an original vindaloo sauce; and a Shakahari Mezze of roasted peanut aubergine, tandoori paneer & cauliflower with a smoked malai sauce.

These tandoori roast meats will be served with chutneys and roasted sweet and fennel potato, cumin butter mash, roast parsnips and green bean & broccoli thoran.  The charity lunch will cost £17.95, of which £5 will be donated to good causes.

ENDS

More details at:

www.nationaleatingoutweek.com and www.find-your-feet.org

Editors' Notes: Menus, recipes and hi res photos available.

Widely accepted as being in the vanguard of the new wave of modern Indian restaurants, Indian Summer has been pioneering authentic regional food from the sub continent for over a decade.  The Brighton favourite is listed in the 'Top 100' restaurants in the UK by the Cobra Good Curry Guide. The consistency of Indian Summer's high culinary standards has been recognised with the award of a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Other recent awards: Brighton & Hove Food Awards, AA Rosette, Harden's Food Guide, Open Table Best Restaurant.

Indian Summer was founded in 2001 by Minesh Agnihotri (who gave up a career making medical prosthetics) and Byron Swales (whose family was forced to flee Burma in a wooden plane), with a mission to bring authentic cooking to Brighton and recruited Indian Head Chef Parth Shukla, who heads a team who have worked in many of India's leading restaurants including Bukhara, Delhi, Delhi and Karvalli, Bangalore.  Chef Shukla has assembled a brigade of talented chefs drawn from across the regions to offer truly pan-Indian fine dining.

Outside Catering: For weddings, parties, music festivals and intimate dinner parties, with prix fixé and original menus created to specific requirements.

Cookery Classes: 2 to 3 hour workshops in the comfort of your own kitchen; £140 for 3 courses four up to 4 people including all ingredients and spices.

Private Hire: For cocktail receptions, dinner and buffets.

Opening Times: Monday 6pm – 10.30pm; Tuesday to Saturday 12 noon – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm; Sunday 12.00pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10pm.

Media Contact: To review, contact George Shaw at Avocado Media

T: 01892 750851  M : 07860 695555  E : geo@avocadomedia.co.uk

Indian Summer, 70 East Street, BrightonBN1 1HQ

T: 01273 711001 Tw: @indiansummer108 
E: manager@indian-summer.org.uk W: www.indian-summer.org.uk