Curry houses in Bury St. Edmunds, Colchester and Mildenhall have all received nominations for the coveted English Curry Awards.
The annual awards, which is in its eighth year, will bring together hundreds of curry houses, chefs and catering teams from across the country to celebrate the best in England’s Asian cuisine.
Whilst other establishments will compete in regional categories, the Spice Lounge in Mildenhall will go up against restaurants from as far afield as Sheffield and Bristol for the “Most Wanted Restaurant of the Year” category.
Jay Ali, Spice Lounge general manager said: “It’s a great feeling to be recognised at the industry awards by our customers, putting Mildenhall on the national stage.”
He continued: “This our third year running at the curry awards and this nomination is on a higher level because it’s for the restaurant, it’s not just the food, it’s the service, the team , the whole thing.”
The Spice Lounge has already come home with accolades from the English Curry Awards, winning “Service of the Year East” last year and “Chef of the Year South” in 2016 with cook Anfar Ali.
Mr Ali said: “Making a good curry all comes down to passion for me, passion and hardwork.
“I have been doing this for over 20 years and I’m still as passionate as I was on day one, hardwork and dedication, if you put it all together you come out with a good product.”
Elsewhere, Colchester’s Sonali Indian Takeaway and the Zeera Indian Takeaway in Bury St Edmunds will be going head-to-head in the “Takeaway and Home Delivery of the Year, East of England” category.
Irfan Younis, CEO of Oceanic Consulting who run the English and Scottish Curry Awards said: “We are so excited to announce the finalists for the 8th English Curry Awards 2018.
“They have not only faced the recent challenges but have indeed grown from them.
“The curry industry represents so much more than just food: it celebrates history, community and innovation and we cannot wait to celebrate the achievements of the sector at the awards ceremony.”
The ceremony will be held at the Copthorne Hotel Merry Hill in Dudley, near Wolverhampton, on Monday, September 17.
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