Good to see Cyrus Todiwala continuing to help British students build their Asian cookery skills. This really is the only route to a sustainable supply of great talent on the UK. If we always rely on overseas chefs being brought in to fill the skills gaps the industry will always be at the mercy of changes in immigration rules. Do the hard work now and we can have ready supply of talent coming out of catering colleges ready to continue to build a great industry in the UK. Here’s some more information about Zest Quest Asia… The student chef’s competition for the 21st century Dynamic, Versatile, Innovative, Going places! This…
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So last week I got a press release announcing the opening of the nominations of the Asian Curry Awards. Nothing strange there, I’ve received lots of these and have been invited to the awards before. But as I read the release it made me feel uneasy about the direction the…
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I was recently asked my opinion on a series of curry awards that one curry house was claiming to have won over the years. This started me thinking of all the various awards I have been to and whether they should actually mean anything to Joe Public in their choice…
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The shortlist has been announced for the first Asian Restaurant Awards, which will be held at the Manchester Hilton, on Monday 5th March 2018. The shortlisted. which was determined by over 100,00 votes from members of the public, can be seen at www.acfederation.org. Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants and takeaways, were eligible to enter the Awards, which are organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF). Leading restaurants are now being inspected by a panel of judges led by Pat Chapman, editor of the Cobra Good Curry Guide. Whilst the judging criteria are heavily weighted towards the…
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Asian foodies can nominate their favourite restaurants and takeaways in the first Asian Restaurant Awards, which will be held at the Manchester Hilton, on Monday 12th February 2018. The awards are open to Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese restaurants and takeaways. The shortlisted will be determined by members of the public, who can vote online at www.acfederation.org/asian-restaurant-awards-2017-nomination-form or by tweeting their choice using the hashtag #AsianRestaurantAwards – citing the @AsianCatFed handle, restaurant name and location. There will also be awards for the best restaurant suppliers, which will be determined by the votes of restaurateurs, chefs and caterers.…
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The nation’s favourite Asian and Oriental chefs, as determined by popular public vote, have been announced by the Asian Catering Federation [ACF]. The top thirty were invited to a special presentation ceremony being held in the Terrace Pavilion of the House of Commons on Monday 15th May 2017. The event was also used to launch the Asian Curry Awards 2017, organised by the ACF being presented on at a glittering ceremony on Sunday 12th November, where the top chefs and restaurants will be revealed. The top thirty chefs have been named as: Luthfur Ahmed, Bengal Brasserie, Belfast; Rafique Ali, Bokhara Bangor, Belfast; Harneet Baweja, Gunpowder, London; Vineet Bhatia, Vineet Bhatia,…
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The curry house has been part of the fabric of British society for quite some time now, so much so that you would be hard pressed to find a high street in the UK without an Indian, Bangladeshi, Thai or other curry-loving type of cuisine. However this might not be the case for much longer, with curry houses currently closing down at a rate of two a week and industry experts suggesting that up to a third of Britain’s 12,000 curry houses are at risk of closure. There are a number of reasons behind this trend, the competition is extremely high and tight budgets continue to make people think twice before eating out, however the number…
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At last an awards event where there are some recognised judges. I realise awards events need to make money to fund themselves but many simply seem to be an exercise in self-promotion, with no real competition involved. It’s interesting to see that these organisations are at least trying to address this by appointing a panel that can legitimately be described as experts. Hopefully this will lead to some really good restaurants winning rather than just the ones that bought the most tickets for the awards evening. Here’s an extract from their press release to let you know who’s involved: “Leading Asian chefs will compete in a dramatic cook off to…
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OK restaurant owners (and takeaways / hotels / bars etc.) I recently read a guide to website design for the hospitality industry and to be honest it was absolute rubbish and didn’t list any really important elements needed on a restaurant website. So as a regular user and often frustrated customer (and because it’s Friday) here’s a totally unscientific list of my pet hates about the websites you hope will attract my custom: Doesn’t work on a mobile phone – yes even though more searches and bookings are now done on smartphones and tablets than on desktop machines, hundreds of websites still aren’t designed for mobile use. My eyes aren’t great, don’t…
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The finalists in the 5th Asian Curry Awards are being announced at a special networking lunch in the Terrace Pavilion at the House of Commons on Monday 12th October. Restaurateurs will have the chance to meet the local MPs and discuss challenging issues facing the curry restaurant and takeaway industry with their fellow business owners. Over 50 MPs have already confirmed their attendance. Curry lovers still have time to vote for their favourite Indian, Bangladeshi Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Malaysian restaurants and chefs. Voting for the 5th Asian Curry Awards closes 30th September. Vote online via www.asiancurryawards.com or email the name and location of the restaurant to vote@asiancurryawards.com The Parliamentary lunch…
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You don’t need a boarding pass to walk on to this special plane. Technically we’re not sure it’s a plane any more as it won’t even leave the ground. Instead, you will be able to eat a proper curry.
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Three curry fans volunteered in an investigation which measured curry portions and physical activity.
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