Curry Awards
Encyclopedia
The Curry Awards are the highest honours awarded to British
curry restaurants.
The Curry Awards ceremony
was established in May 1991 by Pat Chapman
and was the first awards ceremony of any restaurant
sector.
’s first Good Curry Guide was published in 1984. About 600 curry
restaurants were selected for entry (out of the 4,000 that existed then) and it carried little critical information. The next edition (1987) addressed this by having critical entries from correspondents. No one restaurant was rated higher than any other. In other words neither of these editions named the ‘Best in Class’; Chapman considered that since only the top percentage achieved entry, all entries were ‘Good Restaurants’. The publication attracted considerable media attention. However journalists and food writers from such publications as The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph
, The Times
, and BBC Good Food Magazine pressured Chapman to name the best.
Chapman asked his correspondents which restaurants could qualify into a TOP 30 category (which became TOP 100 in 1995), and which could be best regionally and best in UK. The results were duly published in the 1991 Guide and to launch it Chapman decided to hold an Awards Ceremony for the winners. Unlike today, it was a time when there were few such ceremonies. Chapman modelled it on the Academy Award Oscars ceremony, by commencing with a formal presentation of a certificate to each winner in turn before a group of their peers and media, and following with a luncheon to emphasise the event’s social side. On that first ceremony, there were eight winners, including Chutney Mary London
, SW10 as Best in UK, where the event was held.
Media and public response to this was enormous. So by the time the next GCG was due for publication, the TOP 30 was increased to the new TOP 100 category, and from that no less than 18 ‘Best in Category were to be awarded.
It was clear a bigger venue was needed, and one that was not a winning restaurant. Chapman had been a guest at several Indian Wedding
s at Heathrow Hotels where the catering was by Madhu’s . Chapman knew the owner, Sanjay Anand and suggested his firm did his catering and the Park Lane Hotel
was chosen with a seating capacity of 330 seats. It was the first time Madhu’s had catered for any event other than Asian weddings. Chapman organised the entire event. Of the 300 seats, 80 were taken by media.
, the term 'Indian restaurant' is commonly used to describe venues that dispense ‘Indian cuisine’. This itself is the blanket term used by many to cover the cuisine of India as well as its subcontinent
neighbours : Bangladesh
, Nepal
, Pakistan
, and Sri Lanka
. This is also referred to as ‘Asian’ cuisine, which is more accurately defined as South Asian cuisine
. The term British Asian
or simply Asian, describes British citizens of South Asian descent. In the United States
and Australia
‘Asian cuisine’ usually refers to ‘East Asian’ with its culinary origins in Imperial Chinese cuisine
and now encompassing modern Japanese
, and Korean and ‘Southeast Asian’ cuisine which includes that of Cambodia
, Laos
, Thailand
, Viet Nam, Brunei
, Indonesia
, Malaysia, Singapore
, and the Philippines
plus ‘South Asian’ as well.
, press
and others, totalling some 800.
The luncheon is a major feature of the event. Catering
for any event attended by others in the catering trade is a challenge; Chapman's Curry Awards the more so. Being an Indian Restaurant event, the restaurateurs are from all countries of the subcontinent
so it is no mean task for the caterer to satisfy 800 of his international peers, and one few caterers would attempt. As detailed above, Madhu's of Southall
have been the event's catererer since 1996.
The event is widely reported in the UK and in the subcontinent
, and it is televised by Sony Entertainment Television Asia
and is screened and repeated in Australia
, Canada
, Europe
, Pakistan
, India
, Mauritius
, the Middle East
, New Zealand
, South Africa
, the United Kingdom
and the United States
to millions of viewers.
Cuisine Awards
Other Awards
Special Awards
The Ultimate Award
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
curry restaurants.
The Curry Awards ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
was established in May 1991 by Pat Chapman
Pat Chapman
Patrick Lawrence Chapman is an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.-Early days:Chapman was born in London during the Blitz...
and was the first awards ceremony of any restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
sector.
History
Pat ChapmanPat Chapman
Patrick Lawrence Chapman is an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.-Early days:Chapman was born in London during the Blitz...
’s first Good Curry Guide was published in 1984. About 600 curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
restaurants were selected for entry (out of the 4,000 that existed then) and it carried little critical information. The next edition (1987) addressed this by having critical entries from correspondents. No one restaurant was rated higher than any other. In other words neither of these editions named the ‘Best in Class’; Chapman considered that since only the top percentage achieved entry, all entries were ‘Good Restaurants’. The publication attracted considerable media attention. However journalists and food writers from such publications as The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and BBC Good Food Magazine pressured Chapman to name the best.
Chapman asked his correspondents which restaurants could qualify into a TOP 30 category (which became TOP 100 in 1995), and which could be best regionally and best in UK. The results were duly published in the 1991 Guide and to launch it Chapman decided to hold an Awards Ceremony for the winners. Unlike today, it was a time when there were few such ceremonies. Chapman modelled it on the Academy Award Oscars ceremony, by commencing with a formal presentation of a certificate to each winner in turn before a group of their peers and media, and following with a luncheon to emphasise the event’s social side. On that first ceremony, there were eight winners, including Chutney Mary London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, SW10 as Best in UK, where the event was held.
Media and public response to this was enormous. So by the time the next GCG was due for publication, the TOP 30 was increased to the new TOP 100 category, and from that no less than 18 ‘Best in Category were to be awarded.
It was clear a bigger venue was needed, and one that was not a winning restaurant. Chapman had been a guest at several Indian Wedding
Indian wedding
South Asian weddings are very bright events, filled with ritual and celebration, that continue for several days. They are generally not small affairs, with anywhere between 100 to 10,000 people attending. Often, it is possible that many of the attendees are unknown to the bride and groom themselves...
s at Heathrow Hotels where the catering was by Madhu’s . Chapman knew the owner, Sanjay Anand and suggested his firm did his catering and the Park Lane Hotel
Park Lane Hotel
The Park Lane Hotel is a 5 Star hotel on Piccadilly, London.The hotel was built in the 1920s in the Grand Art Deco Style by Sir Bracewell Smith. The building is a fine example with a mansard roof and Portland stone facade...
was chosen with a seating capacity of 330 seats. It was the first time Madhu’s had catered for any event other than Asian weddings. Chapman organised the entire event. Of the 300 seats, 80 were taken by media.
Terminology
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the term 'Indian restaurant' is commonly used to describe venues that dispense ‘Indian cuisine’. This itself is the blanket term used by many to cover the cuisine of India as well as its subcontinent
Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
neighbours : Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. This is also referred to as ‘Asian’ cuisine, which is more accurately defined as South Asian cuisine
South Asian cuisine
South Asian cuisine, also known as Desi cuisine, includes the cuisines from the Indian subcontinent. It has roots in South Asia, including practices taken from the Hindu beliefs practiced by the large population found in the region, alongside influences from neighbouring regions and cultures,...
. The term British Asian
British Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
or simply Asian, describes British citizens of South Asian descent. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
‘Asian cuisine’ usually refers to ‘East Asian’ with its culinary origins in Imperial Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
and now encompassing modern Japanese
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, and Korean and ‘Southeast Asian’ cuisine which includes that of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Viet Nam, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
plus ‘South Asian’ as well.
Currently
Between 18 and 20 Curry Awards are given before an audience of restaurant personnel and their guests, sponsors, mediaMedia (communication)
In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data...
, press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
and others, totalling some 800.
The luncheon is a major feature of the event. Catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
for any event attended by others in the catering trade is a challenge; Chapman's Curry Awards the more so. Being an Indian Restaurant event, the restaurateurs are from all countries of the subcontinent
Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
so it is no mean task for the caterer to satisfy 800 of his international peers, and one few caterers would attempt. As detailed above, Madhu's of Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
have been the event's catererer since 1996.
The event is widely reported in the UK and in the subcontinent
Subcontinent
A subcontinent is a large, relatively self-contained landmass forming a subdivision of a continent. By dictionary entries, the term subcontinent signifies "having a certain geographical or political independence" from the rest of the continent, or "a vast and more or less self-contained subdivision...
, and it is televised by Sony Entertainment Television Asia
Sony Entertainment Television Asia
For the version in India, see Sony Entertainment Television .Not to be confused with Sony Entertainment Television , the SET version in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Fiji....
and is screened and repeated in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to millions of viewers.
The Achievement
Of the 9,000 Indian restaurants in Britain, each of which are scrupulously examined, only seventy restaurants become shortlisted with four allocated to each of the eighteen Award categories. Of these, only eighteen win the Awards. That is one-in-500 or 0.2% (zero-point two) percentage of the total.Timescale
The Good Curry Awards ceremony has been held each time a Good Curry Guide is published as follows:| Year | Venue | Caterer | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Chutney Mary | Chutney Mary | - | |
| 1995 | Park Lane Hotel, Piccadilly | Madhu's Southall | televised by BBC Network East | |
| 1998 | Nehru Centre, W1 | Clay Oven, Wembley | - | |
| 1999 | Café Royal, Regent St, W1 | Madhu's Southall | televised by LWT News for ITN | |
| 2001 | Hilton Park Lane,W1 | Madhu's Southall | - | |
| 2004 | Hilton Park Lane,W1 | Madhu's Southall | televised by Sony TV Asia | |
| 2007 | Hilton Park Lane, W1 | Madhu's Southall | televised by Sony TV Asia | |
| 2011/12 | tba | - | - | |
Curry Awards Categories
Regional Awards- Best in the North of EnglandNorthern EnglandNorthern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
- Best in the South (of England)Southern EnglandSouthern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...
- Best in the MidlandsEnglish MidlandsThe Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
(of England) - Best in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Area - Best in ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Best in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
Cuisine Awards
- Best Bangladeshi
- Best NepaleseNepalese cuisineNepalese cuisine refers to the cuisines of Nepal. The cultural and geographic diversity of Nepal provide ample space for a variety of cuisines based on ethnicity, soil and climate. Nevertheless dal-bhat-tarkari is eaten throughout the country. Dal is a soup made of lentils and spices...
- Best IndianIndian cuisineIndian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
- Best Pakistani
- Best Sri Lankan
- Best RegionalRégionalRégional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, or Régional for short, is a subsidiary airline wholly owned by Air France which connects hubs at Paris, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Bordeaux to 49 airports in Europe. The airline operates in Air France livery, retaining its name in small titles and logo on...
IndianIndian cuisineIndian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society... - Best Vegetarian
- Best South East Asian
Other Awards
- Best ChefChefA chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
- Best Maitre d
- Best Newcomer
Special Awards
- Lifetime Achievement Award
The Ultimate Award
- Best in UK.
Previous Best in the UK Award Winners
The most cherished Award is the Best in the UK. Only six restaurants have achieved it. All six are still trading at their consistent standard of excellence.- 1991/4 ~ Chutney Mary, SW10
- 1995/7 ~ Bombay Brasserie, SW7
- 1998/9 ~ La Porte des Indes, W1
- 1999/2001 ~ Chutney Mary, SW10
- 2002/3 ~ Quilon's, SW1
- 2004/6 ~ Madhu's, Southall
- 2007/8 ~ Ithiaas, Birmingham
See also
- Pat ChapmanPat ChapmanPatrick Lawrence Chapman is an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club.-Early days:Chapman was born in London during the Blitz...
- Good Curry GuideGood Curry GuideThe Good Curry Guide is a regularly published guide to the UK’s top curry restaurants.The Good Curry Guide was first published in 1984, by Pat Chapman, founder of the The Curry Club and is the only such publication currently in print...
- Curry Club MagazineCurry Club MagazineThe Curry Magazine is a printed periodical publication published by The Curry Club, England, and is the world’s only consumer magazine exclusively devoted to the subject of curry and the ‘curry lands’....
- The Curry ClubThe Curry ClubThe Curry Club was founded by Pat Chapman in 1982, to further the understanding and appreciation of the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent and now has a membership of several thousand.In 2007 it became known as Pat Chapman’s Curry Club.-Overview:...
- CurryCurryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
- BaltiBalti (food)A Balti is a British-style type of curry cooked and served up in a thin, pressed steel wok-like pan. It is served in many restaurants in the United Kingdom...
- Tandoori
External links
- http://globalmalaysians.com/feature/story.asp?file=/2006/4/21/feature/13970739&sec=feature
- http://www.patchapman.co.uk/page/cobra-good-curry-guide
- http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/scene/gcg2004.html
- http://www.londoneats.com/news/default.asp?PressID=75
- http://www.victoriasindia.co.uk/news.htm
- http://www.nriinternet.com/NRIentrepreneurs/UK/A_Z/A/Sanjay_Anand/index.html
- http://www.ethnicnow.com/channels/food-drink/press-release/11/947/itihaas-scoops -top-honours-at-2007-cobra-good-curry-awards.html
- http://aphrohead.com/Product.aspx?pid=11927505
- http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article453496.ece
- http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/article-10796583-details/Britain%27s+best+curry/article.do
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2007/nov/11/shopping
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/mar/24/foodanddrink
- http://anantnaik.blogspot.com/2006/12/cobra-good-curry-awards.html