A NUMBER of local restuarants have made the finals of the hottest cooking awards in the country.
The longlist for the Asian Curry Awards 2022 has been revealed, along with the announcement of the creation of an inaugural Pat Chapman Memorial Award, to honour its long-time chairman of judges, who died in July.
A record number of nominees will now be whittled down by online public vote – before visiting judges determine the eventual winners – who will be honoured at a glittery awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House on November 20, sponsored by food delivery firm Just Eat.
With restaurateurs facing a ‘quadruple whammy’ of rising food prices, increased energy costs, staff shortages and customers experiencing a cost-of-living crisis, Yawar Khan, Chairman of the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which represents the nation’s 30,000 restaurant and takeaways, urged the public to cast their votes, as a prestigious accolade can give a significant boost to an establishment’s bottom line.
“Every week I hear from another owner closing their restaurant because they cannot see an end in sight to the economic situation – but an award win can bring a massive upsurge in trade,” said Mr Khan.
“For customers wanting to help their favourite restaurants survive, their votes can be crucial.”
This year, award-winners will also be included in the ACF’s new ‘One Hundred Top Curry Restaurants’ guide, which is being published across the UK on a region-by-region basis at the website Top100curryRestaurants.co.uk, with a printed version being available next year.
The awards event, organised by the ACF, is the only one of its kind that acknowledges the full panoply of Asian cuisines and is widely regarded as the sector’s most prestigious.
The Asian Curry Awards cover all Asian and Oriental cuisines: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese.
Among the record number of finalists at this year’s awards are six curry restaurants based in Kent.
These are: Bombay Cooks in Ashford, Shampan in Westerham, Cinnamon Square in Hildenborough, Everest Inn, Ashford, Saffron Gold in Tudeley and INDI18 in Tonbridge.
Spice lovers can vote for their favourite Asian restaurants and takeaways by visiting: asiancurryawards.com
