Bradford lived up to its ‘curry capital’ reputation yesterday as five young budding chefs from the area walked away with prizes in the final stage of a national competition.

All nine contestants, including eight from Bradford, blew away judges at the final stage of the National Junior Curry Chef Competition, hosted at Bradford College.

A mix of exotic Indian aromas filled the kitchens in the International Food and Travel Studio, on Thornton Road, as the students created a main dish with two accompaniments in 90 minutes, in a bid to impress judges and be crowned champion.

There were two 1st prize winners – one from the 16-and-under category and another from the 18-and-under category, with second and third place awards given in each section.

Two of the successful contestants were brother and sister, Aisha and Faris Amin, both of Queensbury School, who competed in different categories. Aisha, 15, clinched first prize in the 16-and-under category, winning £200 with her seafood masala dish served with basmati rice and masoor dahl.

Meanwhile, Faris, 17, came in second place in the 18-and-under category with his chicken salan dish. Aisha said: “I can’t quite believe I won, I am really surprised. We both cook a lot at home with our family. It was tough today. I felt a lot of pressure with people watching.”

The winner of the 18-and-under category was Abe Petho from Newcastle College. Connor Stowell, from Bradford College, took third place in that category with his lamb fenugreek dish.

The contest is hosted each year by Bradford College’s Department of Hospitality and Travel. Now in its third year, the contest has also featured the world’s biggest bhaji and largest samosa being cooked in the build-up to previous years’ competitions.

Mewish Masood, from Queensbury School, took second place in the 16-and-under category. And third place went to one of the younger contestants, 14-year-old Oliver Robinson, who also got to the finals last year, from Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley.