Rice rendezvous

CURRY NIGHTS are an increasingly popular part of the pub food scene - but it takes an ambitious pub to use one to feed its entire community at once.

That's what the Unicorn pub in the village of Cublington, Bedfordshire, did recently - not simply to raise the profile of the food it serves, but also to raise funds for charity. Working with rice specialist Tilda, the pub raised £565, which has been split between Learning for Life, the chosen charity of Indian chef Cyrus Todiwala who has worked with Tilda to develop recipes, and Bigshot Cricket, which promotes the game in India.

The Unicorn is the locals' pub in a fairly literal way. The freehold was bought by three village families in 2004, saving it from the threat of being sold for residential development. As the only amenity in the village, residents felt it was vital to keep it going as a pub.

Four years on, the pub is still owned by two residents of Cublington, Steve George and John Gregory. Steve has a background in PR and John in banking and venture capital - a blend of skill and experience most pubs would envy.

Despite the current state of the market, trade at the Unicorn has continued to grow under the watchful day-to-day eye of manager Sharon Sletcher. "There is a lot of support in the village for the pub, but like any business you have to give customers what they want," says Sharon.

That includes a busy schedule of events and activities, as well as cask beer, a popular wine list and a menu built around good-quality British pub food. Even so, the pub's head chef Pankaj Kalko wanted the chance to show off his talents with Asian food. "The regular menu is fine," he confesses, "but it's good to try something different occasionally."

Fifty villagers each paid £10 for their meal, with all proceeds going to the charities helping the Indian community. All were fed from one bag of Tilda Basmati rice, with Pankaj cooking up a menu using a combination of his own recipes and some devised by Todiwala.

The 'feed the village' theme also echoed Tilda's support for Indian communities, both via charitable projects and by buying the best Basmati, regardless of price, ensuring that farmers consistently receive a good return for their high-quality crop.

The clean plates and hopeful requests for seconds demonstrated the success of the event.

• Pubs can download a free poster and recipes at www.tildafood service.com, to help promote their own curry nights.