The British Curry Awards
Encyclopedia
The British Curry Awards is an annual awards dinner dedicated to the British Curry Industry. It was established in 2005 by Enam Ali MBE. The stated aims were to recognise the unsung heroes of the curry business, to promote the curry industry and to encourage the younger generation to follow in their elders’ footsteps. It is now undisputedly the biggest awards ceremony in this sector, widely referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of the industry, with over 1200 guests attending the event in 2010. High level political figures have come to address the Awards, including the Rt. Hon David Cameron
MP, who gave the keynote speech in 2009.
who established Le Raj restaurant in Epsom Downs
in 1989. Today, he is one of the leading figures in the UK curry industry and the British Bangladeshi community generally and is frequently seen and heard in the national and international print, TV and radio media. He was made MBE
in Queen's New Year's Honours.
In 1998, he launched Spice Business Magazine which combines news about the spice restaurant industry with developments in the British Bangladeshi community. Today it has a readership of over 100,000 and is one of the most respected journals in the UK curry sector.
Enam Ali recognised that it was not widely known that the majority of the UK's 'Indian' restaurants, turning over £3.5 billion pounds yearly and directly employing 100,000 people, were owned and run by people of Bangladeshi origin. As a result, in November 1994, the Dine Bangladeshi campaign was officially launched. Later it was formed into the trade association the Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs at the Grosvenor House Hotel
in London. The aim was to ensure that British Bangladeshis were correctly credited for their contribution to the UK economy and also that they warranted a voice at the decision-making level.
Taking this initiative a step further, Mr. Ali founded the British Curry Awards in 2005 in order to raise the profile of this business and highlight some of the key issues facing the industry.
After much deliberation, interviews, ‘mystery shopper’ visits
and poring over the criteria submission forms, the judging panel eventually came up with the top 100 curry restaurants.
These top 100 curry restaurants in the country were then further inspected to arrive at the best ten regionally, with awards covering Scotland, the North-East, the North-West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Wales, the South-East, the South-West, London Central & City and London Suburbs. There was a further award for best newcomer of the year. These eleven restaurants were presented with British Curry Awards trophies at the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel in November 2010.
The British Curry Awards aims to ensure that a high level of transparency and integrity is employed in the voting. The judging process is further enhanced by having an eminent final judging panel. Judges have included well-known journalists, Peter Grove and Clive Woodbridge, representatives of the industry body, La Confrérie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, celebrity chefs Toby Tobin and Anjum Anand and Radio personality James Whale.
In addition to the 11 aforementioned awards, there are also special awards, including the personality of the year, which has been won by various well known figures including Madhur Jaffrey
, and lifetime achievement. In 2010, there was also a special award given to Heston Blumenthal for his achievement inspiring a new generation of UK chefs.
The audience comprises restaurateurs, celebrities, MPs, ambassadors, media and leading figures in the hospitality sector. The event has been shown on ITN, BBC World
, BBC2, Sky
, ATN
, Channel One
, Star Plus
, Zee TV
and others and is also covered by national, local and international newspapers. In total, The British Curry Awards receive coverage in 127 different countries.
The event has also helped raise significant sums of money for various charities, including the Anthony Nolan Trust, Just a Drop
, Bangladesh Flood Appeal, James Whale Fund, The Lord’s Taverners, and Help A London Child.
Previous Best in the London Central & City Winners:
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
MP, who gave the keynote speech in 2009.
History
Enam Ali MBE is a British BangladeshiBritish Bangladeshi
A British Bangladeshi is a person of Bangladeshi origin who resides in the United Kingdom having emigrated to the UK and attained citizenship through naturalisation or whose parents did so; they are also known as British Bengalis...
who established Le Raj restaurant in Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs
Epsom Downs is an area of chalk upland near Epsom, Surrey; in the North Downs. Part of the area is taken up by the racecourse, the gallops are part of the land purchased by Stanly Wootton in 1925 in oder that racehorses can be trained without interference. It is open to users such as ramblers,...
in 1989. Today, he is one of the leading figures in the UK curry industry and the British Bangladeshi community generally and is frequently seen and heard in the national and international print, TV and radio media. He was made MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in Queen's New Year's Honours.
In 1998, he launched Spice Business Magazine which combines news about the spice restaurant industry with developments in the British Bangladeshi community. Today it has a readership of over 100,000 and is one of the most respected journals in the UK curry sector.
Enam Ali recognised that it was not widely known that the majority of the UK's 'Indian' restaurants, turning over £3.5 billion pounds yearly and directly employing 100,000 people, were owned and run by people of Bangladeshi origin. As a result, in November 1994, the Dine Bangladeshi campaign was officially launched. Later it was formed into the trade association the Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs at the Grosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House Hotel
Grosvenor House is a large and luxurious hotel. The iconic Mayfair, London hotel is owned by the Sahara Group. The name has also been licensed to a property in Dubai....
in London. The aim was to ensure that British Bangladeshis were correctly credited for their contribution to the UK economy and also that they warranted a voice at the decision-making level.
Taking this initiative a step further, Mr. Ali founded the British Curry Awards in 2005 in order to raise the profile of this business and highlight some of the key issues facing the industry.
The British Curry Awards
The Awards are based on members of the public nominating their favourite spice restaurant, i.e. those serving Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan or Nepalese cuisine. In 2010, over 67,000 consumer votes were received for curry restaurants across the country.After much deliberation, interviews, ‘mystery shopper’ visits
Mystery shopping
Mystery shopping or a mystery consumer is a tool used externally by market research companies or watchdog organizations or internally by companies themselves to measure quality of service or compliance to regulation, or to gather specific information about products and services...
and poring over the criteria submission forms, the judging panel eventually came up with the top 100 curry restaurants.
These top 100 curry restaurants in the country were then further inspected to arrive at the best ten regionally, with awards covering Scotland, the North-East, the North-West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Wales, the South-East, the South-West, London Central & City and London Suburbs. There was a further award for best newcomer of the year. These eleven restaurants were presented with British Curry Awards trophies at the event at the Grosvenor House Hotel in November 2010.
The British Curry Awards aims to ensure that a high level of transparency and integrity is employed in the voting. The judging process is further enhanced by having an eminent final judging panel. Judges have included well-known journalists, Peter Grove and Clive Woodbridge, representatives of the industry body, La Confrérie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, celebrity chefs Toby Tobin and Anjum Anand and Radio personality James Whale.
The British Curry Awards Night
The production values and event direction is led by an internationally experienced Awards co-ordination team and the programme for the evening includes a champagne reception, dinner, the Awards presentations, live entertainment and a Winners’ Enclosure with champagne bar and exclusive press area.In addition to the 11 aforementioned awards, there are also special awards, including the personality of the year, which has been won by various well known figures including Madhur Jaffrey
Madhur Jaffrey
Madhur Jaffrey is an Indian actress and food writer who introduced the Western world to the many cuisines of India.- Personal life :...
, and lifetime achievement. In 2010, there was also a special award given to Heston Blumenthal for his achievement inspiring a new generation of UK chefs.
The audience comprises restaurateurs, celebrities, MPs, ambassadors, media and leading figures in the hospitality sector. The event has been shown on ITN, BBC World
BBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
, BBC2, Sky
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
, ATN
ATN
-Medicine:*Acute tubular necrosis, a medical condition involving the death of tubular cells that form the tubule that transports urine to the ureters*Asymmetric tonic neck reflex*Atypical trigeminal neuralgia-Television:...
, Channel One
Channel One
Channel One and TV One, or variations thereof, may refer to:*Channel One , a satellite television channel from Bangladesh*BNT 1 , , a Bulgarian-language public television station...
, Star Plus
STAR Plus
STAR Plus is a Hindi language general entertainment television channel based in India. The channel is part of the STAR TV network's bouquet of channels...
, Zee TV
Zee TV
Zee TV is an India-based satellite television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which broadcasts various programmes in Hindi and other regional languages of India. Broadcasting is also present in various nations of South Asia, Europe, the Middle East,...
and others and is also covered by national, local and international newspapers. In total, The British Curry Awards receive coverage in 127 different countries.
The event has also helped raise significant sums of money for various charities, including the Anthony Nolan Trust, Just a Drop
Just a Drop
Just a Drop - a charitable organization helping to provide clean water and sanitation in poor countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Founded in 1998 by a managing director of World Travel Market Fiona Jeffery and supported by the members of the international travel industry...
, Bangladesh Flood Appeal, James Whale Fund, The Lord’s Taverners, and Help A London Child.
Previous Best in the London Central & City Winners:
- 2005 - Tamarind
- 2006 - Tamarind
- 2007 – La Porte Des Indes
- 2008 - Tamarind
- 2009 – Bombay Brasserie
- 2010 – Bombay Brasserie
British Curry Awards footage
- British Curry Award Ceremony 2005 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJzMG4rb0ck, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUgRiaL2BBI&feature=related )
- British Curry Award Ceremony 2006 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd8D57_PD9M )
- British Curry Award Ceremony 2007 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n53FY_yhylE )
- British Curry Award Ceremony 2008 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5e0h9x9HyQ )
- British Curry Award Ceremony 2009 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAMJPbcgmu0 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cp_Gy7hHsA )
- British Curry Award Ceremony 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yQGSsltQM0 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cp_Gy7hHsA&playnext=1&list=PL2B3D8CC091F54F55&index=9 )