Curry contest hots up as public asked to vote (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Curry contest hots up as public asked to vote

9:50am Thursday 7th June 2012 in News

Bradford’s curry chefs are sharpening their knives as the city’s bid to keep its crown as Curry Capital of Britain hots up.

Food fans are being asked to vote for their favourite Asian restaurants in and around the district, so a team of four eateries can be chosen to represent the city in the annual culinary showdown.

Last year Bradford beat competition from 17 other cities including Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester to take the title – with the judging panel scoring the district’s bid highly for the quality of the food and service offered by each of the restaurants.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, Bradford Council’s executive member for culture and tourism, said: “We know that we have some of the best curry restaurants in the country so we need to shout about it and retain our title.

“I hope everyone backs our bid and shows the judges just how passionate we are about our Bradford curries.”

In last year’s competition, Bradford was praised for its food hygiene, understanding of the curry restaurant sector and the success of the restaurants in collectively raising funds for food charity The Curry Tree, which seeks to alleviate the plight of the poor in South East Asia.

The judges were also impressed by the International Food Academy (IFA) at Bradford College and Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food, which teaches residents how to cook quick, simple, healthy and cost-effective meals.

Last month four top restaurants – The Aagrah, Kiplings, Prashad and Shimla Spice – which represented Bradford in the competition in 2011 launched the Bradford Council bid alongside Bradford College’s Food Academy at a pop-up restaurant.

The closing date for voting is Friday, August 24, with the winning city announced in October.

To vote visit www.visitbradford.com/currycapital, where there is a link to a web form hosted on the Bradford Council website.