Bradford’s curry chefs are sharpening their knives and stocking up their spice racks in a bid to win the title of Curry Capital of Britain.

The city is famous for being home to some of the best curry houses in the land and holds the title of England’s Curry Capital.

It was narrowly pipped to the post by Glasgow for the crown of Curry Capital of Britain last year and will be putting up a fight in 2011.

Curry fans are asked to vote for their favourite restaurants in and around Bradford – including the city centre, Keighley, Ilkley, Shipley and Bingley – to pick the team of four restaurants that will represent the city in the competition.

Last year’s team included Lahore Cafe Bar in Bradford, Azeems in Keighley, Aagrah Shipley and Shimla Spice in Shipley.

People will also be asked to vote for their city to make sure Bradford comes out top of the polls and reclaims the national title, which it last gained in 2004.

A team of judges will then put the restaurants through their paces, scoring them on the standard of their food and service, their hygiene and cleanliness, and how they serve their communities.

The city will be competing against Newcastle, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leices-ter, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield.

Councillor David Green, Bradford Council’s executive member responsible for culture and tourism, said: “It was a great achievement becoming England’s Curry Capital in 2010 and now is our chance to go one step further and claim the overall Curry Capital of Britain title.

“We know that we have some excellent curry restaurants in the district and this is our chance to prove it. I hope everyone shows the judges just how popular Bradford curries are.”

The competition was reinstated in 2010 after a three-year break that left Leicester the champion from 2007.

Voting for restaurants closes on Friday, August 26, and voting for the city closes on Thursday, September 22. Visit visitbradford.com/currycapital to vote.

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