UK’s Top Indian Restaurants Set To Receive Top Accolades at Awards Gala.
The UK’s favourite cuisine will once again be honoured as the eighth annual British Curry Awards takes place on 26th November 2012, at a glittering gala event at Battersea Evolution in London.
With the UK curry industry boasting 10,000 restaurants and 80,000 employees, the awards have become a highlight on the UK social calendar, and each year showcases the vast allure of the £3.6bn a year curry industry. The curry industry is not only a lucrative mainstay of the economy but also an integral part of the nation’s social and culinary fabric.
A pioneer in the UK catering and hospitality sector, the British Curry Awards has been lauded as a pivotal UK institution, with Prime Minister David Cameron calling the awards ‘the curry Oscars’. He went on to say: “The British Curry Awards is an uplifting and inspiring evening.”
This year’s event will once again see a plethora of high-profile guests in attendance, and will include celebrities, dignitaries, politicians, business leaders, and of course, top names from the culinary industry in the UK. The gala dinner will also feature quality entertainment amidst a gourmet banquet. This year’s event will also celebrate a Best of British theme as it reflects on the UK’s remarkable achievements during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The nomination process for the awards encourages people to put forward their favourite Indian eatery for a well-deserved accolade and the awards are estimated to draw a record number of nominations. It is stated that an Indian meal is now the preferred choice of take-away amongst the British population, and has overtaken previous favourites such as Chinese and Italian take-away food. To reflect this, a new award category of ‘Best Delivery Restaurant / Takeaway” has been added this year, in association with Just Eat, the online takeaway ordering service. This will be open to restaurants that are take-aways, as well as restaurants that offer a home delivery service, and will be judged on a nation-wide basis.
Each year the British Curry Awards also gives the ‘Special Recognition Award’ to an influential culinary personality and past winners of this award include Madhur Jaffrey, Cyrus Todiwala OBE, Anjum Anand, Heston Blumenthal OBE and Shelim Hussain MBE.
The British Curry Awards was established by British entrepreneur Enam Ali MBE who the founded the event in 2005. He has been tirelessly promoting the British curry industry globally for the past 30 years. In speaking about the event, he says: “The British Curry Awards recognise and honour the integral contribution made by the UK’s Asian restaurants and take-away outlets to the social and cultural fabric of the United Kingdom.
Curry may be born in India, but British Bangladeshis globalised it. The humble curry has come a very long way since it first came to these shores. Indian cuisine has now become the favourite food of the nation, and is enjoyed by millions of people across the UK, from students to professionals and pensioners. Most people will have a favourite curry that they will order when they go to a restaurant, meaning that Asian cuisine is deeply embedded in the psyche of the British people.
“The curry dish that Britain has given to the world – Chicken Tikka Masala – again features on the British Curry Awards menu in recognition of the important part it has played in helping to establish the UK curry industry’s reputation internationally.”
Prime Minister David Cameron: “Its often said that curry is Britain’s national dish and it’s easy to see why. It’s not just the flavour served up in the thousands of the curry restaurants across the country, it is the welcome too. Those who work in the curry industry enliven Britain’s high streets, boost local economies and contribute to local communities.”
Jenny Bond: “I have driven 220 miles through the floods of Devon to be here tonight at the most prestigious awards in the curry industry.”
Chris Grayling MP: “This ceremony goes from strength to strength each year. It is a fantastic occasion to celebrate new restaurants and rising stars of the future.”
The Winners
- Best Delivery Restaurant/Take-away by Justeat.com – MUSHTAQS (Hamilton, Lanarkshire)
- Best Restaurant Scotland – TAJ INDIAN (Prestwick)
- Best Restaurant North East – AAGRAH (Leeds)
- Best Spice Restaurant North West – INDIAN OCEAN (Ashton-u-Lyne)
- Best Spice Restaurant Midlands – ITIHAAS (Birmingham)
- Best Newcomer Restaurant Midlands – FIVE RIVERS A LA CARTE (Walsall)
- Best Restaurant Wales – RASOI INDIAN KITCHEN (Swansea)
- Best Restaurant South East – HAWELI INDIAN RESTAURANT (Twyford, Berkshire)
- Best Newcomer Restaurant South East – SHAMPAN 4 – THE SPINNING WHEEL (Westerham, Kent)
- Best Restaurant South West – SPICE LODGE (Cheltenham)
- Best Restaurant South West – THE MINT ROOM (Yeovil, Somerset)
- Best Restaurant Central London & City – BOMBAY PALACE (Paddington)
- Best Newcomer Restaurant Central London & City – CHAKRA (Notting Hill)
- Best Restaurant London Suburbs – CHAK 89 (Surrey)
- Best in Casual Dining – THE CHILLI PICKLE (Brighton, East Sussex)
- Special Inspiration Award – Dipna Anand of Brilliant Restaurant – Female Chef
