Manjit's Kitchen's plans for a new restaurant in Leeds have fallen through

Manjit Kaur has operated a stand in Kirkgate Market's food hall since 2015 and had been looking to expand and open new premises.

Manjit's Kitchen raise £40,000 from public pledges to open new restaurant in LeedsShe planned to extend her trading hours and introduce a cocktail and beer menu, and later confirmed that she had entered into negotiations for the lease on a unit on Kirkstall Road in Burley, near Vue cinema.

However she has now confirmed on Twitter that the agreement has fallen through.

"The lease we have been working on has fallen through. We uncovered a problem with the electrical supply and couldn't reach an agreement with the landlord. We tried. So we are back to the property search. We are wiser on commercial leases, and have lost some money on legal fees. But it wasn't meant to be. So we are back looking for properties, partnerships or creative ways to find a property."

Last October Manjit, from Chapeltown, successfully raised more than £40,000 towards the cost of setting up the new restaurant via a Kickstarter campaign, whereby supporters are given 'rewards' such as free meals and cookery classes once the business opens.

She began her business by cooking Indian food for delivery from her kitchen at home back in 2010, before converting a horsebox to take to festivals and weddings with her husband Michael. The Kirkgate Market stand opened in 2016.

Manjit's cuisine has even won a BBC award for street food, and in May 2018 she was invited to serve food from her horsebox at Manchester City's end-of-season party, where she snapped a selfie with Nicolas Otamendi.