Indian Ocean's News Feed

Indian Ocean keen as Mustard to help Manchester’s homeless

20/10/2011 17:07:54

We've teamed up with the Mustard Tree foundation to provide hot meals for Manchester’s homeless. The charity works to improve and rebuild the lives of homeless and marginalised people in Manchester and have been working with the popular restaurant since the beginning of the summer.

Both sides have been enjoying the partnership with feedback from the Mustard Tree’s kitchen team that more people are turning out when the Indian Ocean’s food is on offer. Restaurant owner Nahim Aslam is pleased to hear his food is going down so well and also to be supporting the foundation. He says, “The Mustard Tree is a wonderful charity and the work they do in getting people back on their feet is inspirational. When I first visited them I was blown away by the stories, the people and the hard work and committed of everyone involved. I knew I wanted to get involved somehow and it's brilliant to hear our food is being so well received.”

The restaurant celebrated 18 years of trading with a big party at the restaurant earlier this month where representatives from the Mustard Tree were guests of honour and beneficiaries of money raised through ticket sales and a raffle. Customers were told of the work the charity do and heard the inspiring story of one Mustard Tree volunteer who found salvage at the Ancotes based project and has rebuilt his life with their support. Nahim continues, “After initially keeping our work with the Mustard Tree unwraps we decided we wanted to share the news with our customers and introduce them to the charity. Our customers are always very generous and supportive and we knew they’d get behind the Mustard Tree. We raised over £500 on the night and I want to say a big thank you to our customers for that and for all their support over the last 18 years.”

The Indian Ocean will continue to support the Mustard Tree with their monthly curry runs and by donating £1 from every order of their new Fish Supper dish.

To find out more about the Mustard Tree please visit www.mustardtree.org.uk

To see pictures from the charity night please visit and 'Like' the Indian Ocean's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/indianoceanrestaurant

Indian Ocean scoops an English Curry Award

27/07/2011 09:30:28

We're thrilled to have won yet another award!

On Monday 25th July we won ‘Restaurant of the Year: Best in the North West’ at the first ever English Curry Awards. We beat off competition from Oldham’s Blue Tiffin Restaurant and Indigo in Romiley to take home the regional award.

Indian Ocean owner Nahim Aslam was elated to win the award. He said, “We’re very proud to have won this award. Being nominated for and winning any award is a real honour but to be a winner at the first English Curry Awards is something special. We work so hard week in, week out at the restaurant to make sure we constantly produce high quality food and service and to be recognised for that on an industry level is the icing on the cake.”

The Awards attracted more than 500 industry folk from around the country at Manchester’s Sheridan Suite for the hungryhouse.co.uk English Curry Awards. Managing Director of hungryhouse.co.uk Shane Lake said, “The awards were a runaway success and have a set a fantastic precedent for the years to come. There was a fantastic turnout and an electric atmosphere inside The Sheridan Suite which represented the vibrant and varied talents within the room.”

The awards were presented by popular stand-up comedian Jeff Mirza. Entertainment included: Abbas Hasan, a French-Asian artist who is taking the Asian pop music scene by storm; Romy Shay performed his take on new modern Asian music and new girl on the block, Kiran Dee brought her unique blend of bhangra, Bollywood and RnB music to the stage.

We're already looking forward to next year's event and where we hope to be successful again!

Take a look at more pictures from the night on our Facebook page.

Double English Curry Awards Nomination

14/07/2011 10:35:14

Guess who's been nominated for another award...?

That's right, we've impressed the judges yet again and been put forward for 'Restaurant of the Year' at the first ever English Curry Awards!

And, our friends at Cafe Lahore in Oldham (run by Nahim's brother Wasim) have also been nominated in the 'Team of the Tear' category. The brothers are keeping everything crossed that it is a double success at the awards next Monday and are hoping to bring glory back home to Oldham and Ashton.

Wasim said, “It’s great that both our restaurants have been nominated. Of course we’re hoping for a double success but I think there’s definitely a bit of rivalry there too – we are brothers after all!” Nahim echoes his brothers words, “The double nomination means we have a better chance of one of us bringing an award home. It would be incredible for us both to win!”

Both restaurants are long standing establishments in their respective towns and have enjoyed many successes over the years. The Indian Ocean has won three consecutive British Curry Awards and is holder of two Guinness World Records. Cafe Lahore has been recognised with a National Health Award and was awarded Business of the Year in the Oldham Business Awards in 2008. Both enjoy an enviable reputation, a large loyal customer base and rave reviews.

The brothers are pleased that both their restaurants are being recognised for their efforts and to be involved in the new industry awards.

Nahim said, “We’re always looking for new ways to get involved with the industry and support new ventures. As well as wanting to win an award, we wanted to show our support for hungryhouse.co.uk by submitting an entry into the first ever English Curry Awards and we’re delighted to have been shortlisted.” Wasim agrees, “The English curry industry is a friendly community and we all like to support one another. Whatever the outcome next week, we’re looking forward to a great night at the Awards and meeting the other restaurants and industry folk.”

The Awards are making their debut following the success of the Scottish Curry Awards in recent years. The awards ceremony will be held at Manchester’s Sheridan Suite on Monday 25^th July. Guests can expect a drinks reception, four course dinner, live entertainment, keynote speeches and of course the Awards

For your chance to be at the Awards gala, check out this week's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/indianoceanrestaurant

More information about the Awards can be found at: http://www.lovecurry.info/english-curryawards-2011/index.html

Curry kings of Tameside once again

13/07/2011 16:45:36

We've regained our title of the Tameside Curry Chef of the Year Award!

We beat off fierce competition to win the ‘Best Restaurant’ category at the event at Reflections restaurant at Tameside College on Tuesday 28th June.

Our chef Abdul Karim out classed the other entrants cooking spicy Punjabi fishcakes and lamb shank khunna. Chef Karim was helped by longtime Front of House Manager Gazi Rahman who charmed the judges with his cheeky and laid-back service approach.

We won the same award in 2005 and owner Nahim Aslam is thrilled to have regained the crown after so long. He said, “We’re really chuffed to have won this award and I think it’s well deserved too. Our chefs and waiters work hard all year round to produce top quality food and service for our customers and it’s great that we’ve been recognised for this in the local area. A big well done to the team.”

The annual event was organised by Tameside Council’s environmental health team in conjunction with Tameside College. The competition was open to all food premises in the borough and promotes healthy eating and lifestyles, with an emphasis on improving food safety standards.

Executive Member for Environmental Health Cllr Catherine Piddington said: “This competition is a great way of showcasing the many excellent restaurants and take aways we have here in Tameside as well as highlighting our work with local food outlets to improve food safety standards and promote healthy eating.”

Vegetarian Curry Winners announced

13/06/2011 12:08:23

The first batch of winners in our series of 'Create Your Own Curry' competitions have been announced.

We received lots of interesting suggestion in our Vegetarian themed comp and from our list of favourites you lot have been voting like mad to find our 3 finalists:

- Spicy Chickpea & Kidney Bean fritter

- Boiled Egg & Mushroom Curry

- Mushroom Curry

Our chefs will now turn these suggestions into real dishes ready from them to go head-to-head at the tasting Grand Final at the end of July. Details of this event and how you can get involved will be announced in the coming weeks but in the meantime, why not have a go at our second competition, ‘Create Your Own Healthy Curry’ for a chance to see your dish on our new a la carte menu?

Win a place on the Indian Ocean menu!

23/05/2011 10:17:48

Forget Master Chef, the Indian Ocean in Ashton-under-Lyne is offering three lucky winners the chance to get their recipes featured on the restaurant’s menu.

We're launching a competition to look for the best original, vegetarian and healthy Indian dishes, with the winning entry from each category appearing on the a la carte menu.

Kicking off this week during National Vegetarian Week (NVW) we're calling on our customers and the public to submit their tastiest veggie dishes. We’ll collect entries throughout the week from Monday 23^rd– Sunday 29^th May then compile a shortlist of our favourites. Customers will then be asked to vote for their favourite through an online poll on our website and Facebook page. The three recipes with the most votes will then go head-to-head in a grand finale tasting event at the restaurant where the Indian Ocean chefs will create the dishes for revellers to taste and crown the winner.

Indian Ocean owner Nahim Aslam hopes the competitions will attract some good entries and maybe even find them a permanent addition to the menu. He said, “We’ve got a very loyal and regular client base who are really passionate about the restaurant and our food. We wanted to give something back to them and give them an opportunity to make a difference at the Indian Ocean. Our customers constantly tell us about the curries they’ve made at home and always ask for recipes and tips; well now we’re asking them for theirs! We know there are some dark horses out there and we’re looking forward to seeing what they come up with.”

By starting the competition during National Vegetarian Week the restaurant hope to encourage people to think a little differently about the food they eat and in particular, Indian food. Nahim explains, “There’s a stereotype around Indian food of being very meat based and in the British market this is true. With the popularity of Chicken Tikka Massala, Lamb Rogan Josh and snacks like Shish Kebabs, Indian food in England is very meat orientated.” Things couldn’t be more different in India itself where a third of the population describe themselves as vegetarian. Nahim continues, “Many authentic and regional Indian dishes are vegetarian, relying heavily on lentils and pulses as well as fruits and vegetables. We hope that our competition might encourage people to try more vegetarian foods and have fun cooking with vegetables.”

To take part in the competition send your suggestions, recipes, pictures and videos to info@indianocean.co.uk or post them on our Facebook page. Entries for the “Create Your Own Vegetarian Curry” will close at 23:59 on Sunday 29^th May 2011. Top 10 entries will be announced w/c Monday 6^th June on the Indian Ocean website and Facebook page. If your dish makes it to the Top 3 and into the Grand Final the restaurant will contact you personally so remember to include contact details with your entry.

Tallest poppadom title returns to Tameside!

25/03/2011 14:18:00

Last night (Thursday 24 March 2011) we smashed another Guinness World Record and regained the world's "Tallest Stack of Poppadoms" title!

Our dedicated team of chefs and waiters built the tower to measure 1.57m, beating the existing record by 6cm. The record was witnessed by official judges, Tameside Councilor Bill Harrison and local businessman Jon Howarth, Managing Director at City Accident Response, Ashton-under-Lyne. Both were on hand to observe the attempt from start to finish, making sure the guidelines provided by Guinness World Records were properly followed and then measuring and officially recording the height of the tower.

The record attempt was held as part of a charity evening for Manchester-based cancer appeal Men Matter. The appeal raises awareness and funds for research into prostate, testicular and penile cancers. To date, Men Matter has raised over £250,000.

During the evening, guests were treated to our signature Punjabi and Kashmiri dishes and music and entertainment was provided by the local songstress Jennie Bonita. There was a raffle and auction that raised more than £450 for the appeal which was added to the funds raised from ticket sales.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean was delighted to win back the GWR title and with the teams efforts. He said, "I'm over the moon we managed to pull off the win last night. We've been practicing for weeks so confidence was very high amongst the team that we would do it but of course there were nerves too. It's great that the title has come back to Tameside and I hope we manage to keep hold of it for a while; 1.57m is a fair height to beat!"

It will take up to 6 weeks for GWR to process all the evidence from the attempt and officially award us with the title.

The current record for the "Tallest Stack of Poppadoms" is measured at 1.51 m (4 ft 11 in) and was achieved by the Curry Lounge in Nottingham, UK, on 22 July 2009.

Restaurant to topple tallest tower title

11/03/2011 13:57:06

On Thursday 24^thMarch 2011, we'll be holding a record breaking charity night in aid of MEN Matter, a North West based male cancer appeal.

To date, Men Matter has raised over £200,000 and this money is being used for research into prostate, testicular and penile cancers at The Christie.

As it is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we want to boost funds to this little known organisation with a unique charity event. The evening will be packed full of entertainment, delicious Indian food and fingers crossed, record breaking!

We'll be re-challenging for an official Guinness World Record, the “Tallest Stack of Poppadoms”, a title we won in 2007 before it being taken from them two years ago. The record attempt will kick off the evening at 7pm and will be followed by a traditional 5 course Indian meal. After dinner there will be a prize raffle and entertainment from Indian Ocean favourite Jennie Bonita.

Indian Ocean owner Nahim Aslam is looking forward to the charity night. He said, “Our Tallest Poppadom Tower Challenge charity night is a fantastic opportunity to witness a Guinness World Record attempt whilst raising money for cancer research. So many men bury their heads in the sand when it comes to matters below the belt and we want to help change that. Men Matter is a great appeal, doing wonderful work to raise awareness of these needless diseases and we at the Indian Ocean are proud to support the work they do.”

And on the prospect of winning back his Guinness World Record crown? “We can’t wait!” says Aslam. “We were thrilled when we first won the Guinness World Record and then obviously disappointed to hear that it had been beaten in 2009. We’ve been waiting for the right time to compete for it again and we’re already busy practising to ensure there are no slip up’s on the night!”

Men Matter Chairman Bernard Edmunds is equally as excited about the event. He said, “We can’t thank the Indian Ocean enough for choosing us as their nominated charity for this event! Male cancers are a difficult area to challenge and the fact such a high-profile, restaurant is supporting us will really help boost our awareness campaign in the local area.”

Tickets for the event are £20.00 each and can be purchased in the restaurant or over the phone on 0161 343 3343.

For information on Men Matter, the work they do, advice on male cancers and how you can help please visitwww.menmatterappeal.com

To find out more about the Guinness World Records visit www.guinnessworldrecords.com

"We Love Curry Club"

22/02/2011 15:02:04

Introducing the Indian Ocean’s “We Love Curry Club”

Welcome to our brand new night, exclusively for those that are as passionate about curry as we are!

On Thursday 24^th February we’ll be holding a special evening full of flavour, taste and spice.

Our top dog Kamran will be cooking some dishes live in the lounge for you to watch and taste. They’ll be a unique tour of our kitchen where you’ll get to see our chefs hard at work and see where all the magic happens. And afterwards you can enjoy a meal in the restaurant.*

All this is yours for just £10!

Join us from 7pm.

To book your place at this special event call 0161 343 3 343 or ask a member of staff for more details.

We’ll see you there, at the first “We Love Curry Club”

*one main course and one sundry from our al a carte menu. Excludes king prawn dishes.

Valentine's Day

04/02/2011 16:07:12

We have a fantastic menu for two, especially designed to be shared. There's plenty of choice too meaning you can pick your favourites from our a la carte menu for the perfect Valentine's treat.

- two starters*
- two mains*
- two sundries
- one dessert to share
- one rose
- one box of chocolates

All for £45. Call 0161 343 3 343 to book.

*excludes king prawn dishes

The Indian Ocean is doing its bit for Britain’s soldiers!

07/06/2010 16:34:51

The Indian Ocean proudly handed over their cheque to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity on Tuesday (25^th May).

We held a hugely successful charity night on Thursday 29^th April as part of the national ‘Big Curry’ campaign and raised a whooping £1200.00.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean says, “Guests really dug deep and gave generously on the night. On be half of myself and the Indian Ocean staff I want to say a BIG (Curry!) thank you to everyone who came along and contributed so generously to the cause. You made us all very proud indeed!”

Spring and Summer Entertainment Guide

15/05/2010 22:43:11

North-Wests best live entertainment on show at the best indian in the northwest.

The Big Curry a BIG success for the Indian Ocean!

06/05/2010 15:09:03

The Indian Ocean faithful turned out in force on Thursday night (29^th April) at the restaurant’s Big Curry Charity Night. The event in aid of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity was attended by more than 100 Indian Ocean customers and ABF committee members. Guests really dug deep and gave generously on the night as over £1000 was raised for the soldiers through ticket sales, a raffle and the auction of a rail trip for two to Edinburgh! Our favourite songstress Jennie Bonita entertained guests late into the night after a delicious three course feast of Punjabi and Kashmiry food had been enjoyed.

The Indian Ocean’s event was held as part of the national ‘Big Curry’ fundraiser, run by the ABF, and in line with the prestigious Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch in London, also on Thursday 29^th April.

Chairman of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity for the Greater Manchester area, Colonel David Kirkwood was at the Indian Ocean on Thursday night and explains just how vital events like this really are; “It’s events like tonight that are the bread and butter of what the ABF is all about. We really couldn’t offer the help we do to our brave service men and women without efforts like tonight. I'm delighted to be here and to see the hard work the Indian Ocean has put into its Big Curry event and the generosity of its customers.What a fabulous night!"

The founder of The Cobra Curry Club and Big Curry ambassador Pat Chapman, who couldn’t make the event on Thursday night, had popped in earlier in the week to say hello to his favourite Manchester restaurant and assured the staff he would tell Prince Charles about their efforts at the Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch in Westminster.

January 2010 Newsletter

07/02/2010 20:04:58

enjoy the read by downloading the pdf.

It's a Hattrick of Best in the North West

11/11/2009 10:53:41

We have proved that good things come in threes by being named Best Restaurant in the North West for the third year in a row at the prestigious British Curry Awards.

The honour recognises the continued excellence of the Indian Ocean experience, including its food, service and public profile.

Glittering Ceremony

The British Curry Awards created by Enam Ali MBE, are amongst the highest honours available in the spice industry, often being referred to as the Oscars of Asian cuisine. The night itself is one of the most spectacular on the British restaurant calendar and this year was no exception. The glittering ceremony was held at the Battersea Evolution Centre in London on Tuesday 3rd November and was attended by top industry figures and celebrities including host Sir Trevor McDonald, Conservative party leader David Cameron and TV celebrity Chris Tarrant. David Cameron highlighted the importance of the curry industry in Britain, which is worth £3.5 billion per year, and said that it is important that immigration policy allows the top chefs from the Indian subcontinent to enter Britain and further enhance the quality of Indian food.

The awards are judged on a regional basis and the Indian Ocean beat off stiff competition from across the North West, one of the biggest markets for Asian cuisine in the country, for the third year in a row. It stood out against its competitors as a result of its diverse menu which brings together authentic recipes from across India, the Punjab and Kashmir, creating a unique taste which has consolidated their place as the best restaurant in the North West, and amongst the finest in the country. They also scored highly as a result of their service and ties to the local community including their many charity events and support of local initiatives.

Enam Ali commented “Our winners represent the cream of the industry and have to achieve something truly memorable to win. We are delighted to see restaurants like the Indian Ocean come back with new ideas year after year and they and their colleagues are driving this industry forward.”

Celebrating Tradition as Well as Innovation

Owner Nahim Aslam said, “It is a great honour to be given such a prestigious award any year, but to get it for a third year in a row is particularly special. We work hard to produce the best and most authentic food possible, celebrating tradition as well as innovation. I am doubly pleased that a regional award such as this recognises our contribution to the local community. The pressure is on to win again next year!“

October newsletter

22/10/2009 15:43:12

640 Nans and a new World Record

06/10/2009 15:50:39

The Indian Ocean restaurant has beaten another world record this week as part of this year’s Tameside Food Festival.

The Indian Ocean team cooked 640 nan breads in one hour, obliterating the target number of 400, set by the Guinness Book of Records. The feat was achieved by a team of five chefs using traditional tandoor ovens under the watchful eye of specialist chef, Akram Jat. The temperature inside a tandoor reaches up to 400°C meaning the team really had to keep their cool.

The two official judges were John Fellows from the Willow Wood Hospice and Mark Garner, Managing Director of the Planet Confidential Group which publishes Manchester Confidential online magazine. Harry Kelly, a veteran athletics coach from local club East Cheshire Harriers was the official time keeper and made sure everyone knew how much time was left. The evening was held to raise money for the Willow Wood Hospice, and the naan breads were donated to the Salvation Army Hostel in Manchester along with curry for 300 people. Guests were treated to the latest Punjabi and Kashmiri dishes prepared by their award winning chefs.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, said “I knew as Harry began the last minute countdown we had not just broken the record, we had smashed it. I am absolutely delighted that we have broken another record and raised money for Willow Wood at the same time. Special thanks go to the judges; John Fellows from Willow Wood, and Mark Garner from Manchester Confidential. They really got into the spirit and helped us get the record. It is becoming quite a tradition here!”

The Fastest Tandoor in the West

22/09/2009 14:52:56

The Indian Ocean Restaurant announces plans for a Guinness World Record Attempt

Ashton Under Lyne’s Indian Ocean restaurant has announced plans for a Guinness World Record challenge on Tuesday 29^th September to celebrate the Tameside Food and Drink Festival.

The Fastest Tandoor in the West

The saying ‘if you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen’ certainly doesn’t apply to the chefs at the Indian Ocean, and they’re going to prove it. To break the world record for the most amount of nan breads cooked in an hour, they will repeatedly reach into a tandoor oven as hot as a furnace to try to bake over 400 nans. A traditional challenge among Tandoori bakers in Pakistan, it will take all the skill, expertise and knowledge of the Indian Ocean’s expert tandoori chefs – not to mention bravery.

The charity night will include a sumptuous 5 course Indian meal and entertainment from our resident DJ. With a prize raffle of gifts from local businesses, come and join us for a great party and all in aid of a fantastic cause – Tameside’s Willow Wood Hospice which care for people with life threatening illnesses. The fresh nans will then be donated to local homeless charities and hostels, along with curry for 300 people.

Head Chef Nahim Aslam said, “This is a great opportunity to show how to prepare healthy, fresh food, and show our support for the local community at the same time. We have been involved with Tameside Food Festival since it started five years ago, but this is our first time raising money for the Willow Wood Hospice. It’ll be a fun evening and hopefully a world record breaking one too!”

Tickets for the night are £14.95 per person and can be purchased in the restaurant or over the phone or you can contact us via our website at www.indianocean.co.uk.

New Website Wins Award

23/04/2009 15:29:43

“New Website is a Great Hit”

The Indian Ocean Restaurant – Bar - Terrace scoop an award in a matter of days after new website going live. Adding to recent success the new website has been awarded the winner of the “eTameside awards 2008 - Most innovative use of ICT in a Local Business”

Owner, Nahim Aslam comments, “In-line with our commitment to providing our existing and future customers with the best possible service, we're proud to announce the launch of our brand new website and for recognition it has received so quickly. Re-developed from the ground up with a focus on expandability and user-friendliness.

As the award-winning 'Best Indian Restaurant in the North West', we strive to continuously enhance our customers' experiences, going all-out not just with our award-winning menus but across every aspect of our service. We don't want to just be known as 'that Indian restaurant with the amazing food', but also as 'the Indian restaurant which created its own online community and revolutionised the food industry'.

See for yourself at www.indianocean.co.uk

New Website

30/03/2009 21:30:47

In-line with our commitment to providing our existing and future customers with the best possible service, we're proud to announce the launch of our brand new website! Re-developed from the ground up with a focus on expandability and user-friendliness, we'll be implementing a diverse range of high-tech gadgetry over the coming days and weeks, including video uploads, voting systems, and much more.

As the award-winning 'best Indian restaurant in the North West', we strive to continuously enhance our customers' experiences, going all-out not just with our award-winning menus but across every aspect of our service. We don't want to just be known as 'that Indian restaurant with the amazing food', but also as 'the Indian restaurant which created its own online community and revolutionised the food industry'.

You're only looking at a 'beta' version of the site right now, which means it's not quite finished and not all of the new features have been implemented just yet. Watch this space, because we’re going to be adding features and enhancing the site's functionality as time goes on, with an aim to becoming the world's greatest site dedicated to Indian cuisine.

Stay tuned!

Faithfully yours,
All the team at The Indian Ocean Restaurant.

£1,000 raised by The Indian Ocean for OXFAM

15/12/2008 13:34:23

The Indian Ocean Restaurant & Lounge raised almost £1000 on behalf of Oxfam during National Curry Week at the end of November. The highlight of the week was the Oxfam Charity Dinner, a five-course dinner in the company of guests of honour, the Worshipful Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Tameside.
Diners dug deep into their pockets to support a charity raffle and the Indian Ocean contributed £1 for every restaurant meal ordered during the week.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, confirmed: "We know that our customers are finding things tougher this year, particularly with Christmas approaching. Nevertheless, we are delighted that their
generosity has allowed us to contribute this fantastic sum to such a worthy cause."

INDIAN OCEAN SPICES UP LIFE AT LINDEN ROAD PRIMARY SCHOOL

10/12/2008 13:36:28

Children at Linden Road Primary School in Denton enjoyed a cookery lesson with a difference today as two chefs from the Indian Ocean restaurant in Ashton-under-Lyne cooked up a storm.

The 7-11 year olds were taught about Indian spices and their uses – and then had the chance to sample the delicious dishes that chefs had prepared in front of their eyes. With 5 different curries, peshwari nans and rice on offer, the tasting session proved extremely popular – and many of the children stayed behind to enjoy seconds!

Elaine Roberts, special needs teacher at Linden Road, organised the lunchtime experience. She explains: “We thought this would be a great part of our Food for Life programme and were delighted when the Indian Ocean agreed to help us. The children loved the demonstration and the tasting session looked like a scene from ‘Oliver’ with them all queuing up for more! It was a fantastic success and the Indian Ocean have agreed to return in the future, teaching small groups how to cook and possibly parents too.”

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, agreed: “We were delighted to be a part of this school initiative. Of course, many of our staff are parents too and we all know how important it is to look after the health and diets of our children. We are always happy to become involved with local schools so if any others are interested in a ‘spice cookery lesson’ then please contact us and we’ll do the rest!”

INDIAN OCEAN RESTAURANT SUPPORTS OXFAM APPEAL

10/12/2008 13:24:56

The Indian Ocean Restaurant & Lounge is once again hosting a series of events on behalf of the Oxfam Appeal during National Curry Week from 23-29 November.

The highlight of the week is the Oxfam Charity Dinner at 7pm on Monday 24 November. This year, diners can relax to the sounds of classical Indian music and enjoy a tantalising five-course dinner in the company of our guests of honour, the Worshipful Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Tameside. This costs just £19.95 per person and the Indian Ocean is contributing £1 to the Oxfam Appeal for every guest who participates in the celebrations during the course of the week.

Nahim Aslam, owner of the Indian Ocean, confirms: “This year alone we have raised £2000 for the NSPCC and are hoping to raise more than £5000 for the Oxfam Appeal. We are asking local companies for their help – we need gifts, prizes or signed memorabilia for our auction on the night and we are also asking for monetary donations made payable to the Oxfam Appeal. If any company books a table for 10 or more employees, then we will be delighted to include them in our publicity on the night and subsequent PR. We really do want to make an amazing success of our Oxfam Charity Dinner – but we may struggle without the generosity and support of our donors!

If you would like to contribute to the Indian Ocean Oxfam Appeal or make a table reservation please contact the restaurant on 0161 343 3343 or email info@indianocean.co.uk