Indian food is a firm favourite with the British public, but a calorie laden takeaway from your local High Street curry house is certainly a far cry from the natural and nutritious cuisine that is eaten in the country itself. Traditional Indian cooking is as rich, spicy and flavoursome as the dishes we know and love but more diverse than a Chicken Balti or Lamb Bhuna. This winter, Goaway, specialist operator to Goa and Kerala is offering a chance to sample the best Indian cuisine when you take a trip to Goa and Kerala, guaranteed to spice up your one or two-weeks in the sun!

As with all Indian cuisine, the food in the southern-most province of Kerala relies heavily on its natural surroundings and local produce to create a distinct regional flavour. With the long coastline, innumerable backwaters, and plethora of spice fields and coconut trees, Keralan cooking incorporates everything from fresh seafood combined with coconut milk and Malabar spices, to the sweet exotic fruits which grow in abundance throughout the land. Speciality dishes include the Fish Moilee, the Malabari Biriyani, and Thali, a rice dish served on a banana leaf with avali, a coconut and vegetable mix that incorporates the best of Keralan flavours.

If you fancy yourself as the next Gordon or Jamie, spend seven-nights at the glorious Marai Beach cottages, just a short distance from the fascinating cities of Cochin and Allepey and sample Indian cuisine that will put your local takeaway to shame. Spend your days amid the palms on the powder white beaches of Marai and savour the tastes during your lunches and dinners. Why not take a trip to the nearby spice fields of Kumilly or the bustling markets of Cochin and become a connoisseur of the roots of Keralan cuisine?

Next jet off to the glorious three-star Udhay Samudra Hotel on Kovalam Beach for seven-nights of rest and recuperation. Prices start at just �199pp for flight only departures from Gatwick or Manchester on 8 December. For a package with accommodation prices start from �399 per person and include return flights from Gatwick to Goa or Kerala, taxes, private transfers, and bed and breakfast accommodation. For further details and reservations contact Goaway on 0870 890 7800 or visit www.goaway.co.uk

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For more information or images contact Marlren Taffarello on 07789533791 or 020 8905 6703 or email on marlen@fcdcom.co.uk