SALISBURY City Council has backtracked after telling an Indian food stall owner she could not cater at a St George's Day event because it was "English food only".

The council originally invited Tania Rahman to trade at the event, but then rejected her application.

In an email, the council wrote: "It has been decided that St Georges day will be English themed food only."

Ms Rahman said she was hugely shocked by the email response.

She said: "For the best part of a year now, I have operated a small yet successful Indian Street Food stall Chit Chaat Chai, often appearing at various markets across the county.

"Due to popular demand at sell-out events, I was contacted by Salisbury council in regards to applying to be a food trader at this years St George Day event being held in the Town.

"I was dismayed then to find out that my application had been unsuccessful on the grounds that it was deemed ‘not English enough'."

The city council has apologised for any offence caused and admitted the email was poorly worded.

It has since invited her to attend the event.

A council spokesman told the BBC the theme of the event had been "olde worlde traditional English", but the incident had raised some "very interesting points about modern England" which it would reflect upon for future events.

Ms Rahman told the BBC that despite the U-turn, she was unlikely to attend.

"They didn't want me there to begin with," she said.

"It's only because of the uproar on social media that they've asked me back. Does it really have to go to that extent for them to realise the mistake they've made?"

Ms Rahman added: "In the multicultural hotbed that is modern Britain, it is inconceivable to not celebrate India’s impact on English life.

"This was the thinking behind our decision to apply to be a trader for the event.

"We believed that this, tied to the fact that St George was of Middle Eastern descent, would not only be relevant to the celebration but help enhance the event and showcase the modern multiculturalism that Britain is so famed for.

"St George’s Day is a celebration of all things English, yet much of English culture (Tea drinking for instance) was adopted from India, when the colony’s trading company first began importing produce from India. After all, according to the BBC Curry is the nation's favourite dish.

"English cuisine itself as distinctive attributes of it's own largely influenced through the importation of ingredients during the time of the British Empire such as India, China and North America."

The annual St George's Day Festival takes place in Salisbury city centre on Sunday.