The UK’s favourite cuisine was once again celebrated at the 11th British Curry Awards in association with Kukd.com on Monday 30 November at Battersea Evolution, London.
The industry at large, foodies, celebrities, MP’s and dignitaries collectively paid homage to the nation’s finest curry restaurants at one of the most lauded events of the UK hospitality sector.
The curry industry has embedded itself in the social, cultural and culinary fabric of the UK, with approximately 25 million curries being consumed each week. As a result, the British Curry Awards has become a key fixture on the UK social calendar, lauded as a national institution in its own right as the first and landmark event to celebrate the industry’s achievements.
The nomination process invited members of the public to nominate their favourite curry restaurant and this year a phenomenal 218,000 public nominations were received via post, app and online, from diners nominating their favourite curry restaurants. A total of 2,459 restaurants being nominated!
Winners of British Curry Awards 2015
- SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD: Reza Mahammad
- BEST CASUAL DINING: Dabbawal Jesmond, Newcastle
- BEST DELIVERY RESTAURANT IN ASSOCIATION WITH KUKD.COM: The Chilli Pickle, Brighton
- BEST NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Calcutta Club, Nottingham
- BEST IN SCOTLAND: Karma Restaurant, Whitburn
- BEST IN NORTH EAST: Aagrah, Leeds
- BEST IN NORTH WEST: Viceroy, Carlisle
- BEST IN MIDLANDS: Pushkar Restaurant, Birmingham
- BEST IN WALES: Sheesh Mahal Restaurant, Llanelli
- BEST IN SOUTH EAST: Shampan at the Spinning Wheel, Westerham, Kent
- BEST IN SOUTH WEST: Spice Lodge Restaurant, Cheltenham
- BEST IN LONDON CENTRAL AND CITY: The Cinnamon Club
- BEST IN LONDON SUBURBS: Green Spice Restaurant, Dartford
Crippling shortage of chefs
The British Curry Awards 2015 continued to honour the achievements of the nation’s most popular culinary genre in the face of increasing operational challenges. 90 per cent of the UK curry industry’s restaurants are currently affected by the ongoing and crippling shortage of chefs, which is seeing an average of two curry restaurant closures each week.
The industry is worth £4.2bn and employs more than 100,000 staff in the UK, creating a problem of major economic significance. Without drastically needed change, curry restaurants will be eroded from British life in the same way that local pubs continue to be. The primary contributing factor to the crisis is the government’s immigration policy, which requires skilled workers from outside the EU to earn £29,570.
British Curry Awards founder, restaurateur and editor of trade publication, Spice Business, Enam Ali MBE has been promoting the British curry industry globally for the past 30 years and has been lobbying the UK government to implement a major review as current legislation continues to impact the industry. Speaking at the event he said, “Staff shortages mean many of us are struggling to meet customer expectations, and it is almost impossible to expand as we would like to. I promised myself I wasn’t going to talk again about our industry-wide staffing problems, but as people are constantly contacting me about this issue I cannot let it pass. I fully understand and sympathise because I am one of you. I have drafted a very constructive new visa scheme to help the industry survive in the current climate. I believe my document will help to tighten migration to the benefit of the country while giving us access to the skilled curry chefs we need.
“At the same time, looking to a long-term solution rather than depending on foreign chefs, I am proud to tell you I have formed the Le Raj Academy in partnership with NESCOT (North East Surrey College of Technology). From the beginning of next year, together we will be training the chefs and front of house staff to become the stars of the future.”
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