The ninth annual British Curry Awards were celebrated on Nov. 25, 2013 amidst the grandeur of Battersea Evolution, London.
The event commemorates the work of Britain’s finest curry restaurants and U.K’s £3.6 billion Curry Industry. Attended every year by people associated with the food industry, the award show consists of foodies, celebrities, politicians and other dignified celebrities.
The curry industry in the U.K. includes around 10,000 restaurants and 80,000 employees. Its contribution to the country however is not just economic. It also impacts the social, cultural and culinary framework of the U.K as roughly 25 million curries are consumed each week.
The British Curry Awards has become a well-known event across the world, holding a particularly prominent place on the social calendar of the country.
The Awards were founded by British entrepreneur and restaurateur Enam Ali MBE in 2005.
According to Enam, “The British Curry has established itself as an international cuisine in its own right and a standalone culinary genre which has produced dishes such as the onion bhaji, the dhansak, the chicken tikka masala, the rogan josh, the chicken phall and the balti. As another example, where poppadoms were originally a teatime snack in India, British Curry pioneers recreated it as a replacement for bread and butter as served in British and European restaurants. So the British Curry industry has pioneered, inspired and continues to satiate the appetites of diners nationally, as well as being exported to many parts of the world, including India and the Sub Continent”.
Renowned chef Heston Blumenthal had this to say about the cuisine, “I went to India a few years ago to make a program about chicken tikka masala. What I found was that dishes from over here that people would perhaps say are not authentic are now being copied over there”.
This is perhaps the reason why the British Prime Minister David Cameron supports the event, even coining it the ‘Curry Oscars’ out of affection.
From an amazing 236,000 nominations received this year through various channels like apps, e-mails and posts, the following winners were selected:
Best Newcomer: Shampan 4 at the Spinning Wheel, Westerham, Kent
Best Takeaway Award: Just Eat
Online Takeaway Ordering Service: Polash Tandoori, Dartford, Kent
Best Spice Restaurant South West: Myristica, Bristo
Best Spice Restaurant Central London and City: Benares, Berkeley Square
Best Spice Restaurant London Outer and Suburbs: Indian Moment, Battersea
Best Spice Restaurant South East: Chez Mumtaj, St Albans, Herts
Best Spice Restaurant Wales: Bokhara, Pen-y-Fai, Bridgend
Best Spice Restaurant Midlands: Mem Saab, Leicsester
Best Spice Restaurant Scotland: Karma, Whitburn
Best Spice Restaurant North East: Raval, Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Best Spice Restaurant North West: The Viceroy, Carlisle, Cumbria
The special Spice Business Magazine Award was given to Mohammed Aslam MBE for his special contribution to the curry industry this year.
The event highlights were made up of memorable speeches. The spectacular welcome speech by Justine Ali; an inspiring and highly motivating speech by Prime Minister David Cameron who also tweeted about the event on Nov. 25; as well as an impressive speech by Enam Ali MBE that echoed his love for the industry and his discomfort over the ongoing problems in Bangladesh.
To top the night off, the event also had a mesmerizing post-dinner performance by Shapla Salique.
Source: Tony Gil (Canvas London), Britishcurryaward.co.uk, Facebook.com/BritishCurryAwards
Images: Britishcurryaward.co.uk, Facebook.com/BritishCurryAwards
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