The Curry Awards is an award given to curry restaurants in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, which have achieved "total excellence" in all departments by The Curry Club in association with its publication, The Good Curry Guide. The Good Curry Guide Awards ceremony was established in May 1991 by

Pat Chapman Patrick Lawrence Chapman (20 December 1940 – 22 July 2022) was an English food writer, broadcaster and author, best known for founding The Curry Club. Early days Chapman was born in London during the Blitz. His grandfather had achieved s ...

and was the first

awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An aw ...

ceremony of any restaurant sector.

History

’s first Good Curry Guide was published in 1984. About 600 Indian restaurants were selected for entry (out of the 4,000 that existed then) and it carried little critical information. The next edition (1987) addressed this by having critical entries from

correspondents A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locat ...

. No one restaurant was rated higher than any other. In other words neither of these editions named the ‘Best in Class’; Chapman considered that since only the top percentage achieved entry, all entries were ‘Good Curry Guide Restaurants’. The publication attracted considerable media attention. However journalists and food writers from such publications as

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, and BBC Good Food Magazine pressured Chapman to name the best. Chapman asked his correspondents which restaurants could qualify into a TOP 30 category (which became TOP 100 in 1995), and which could be best regionally and best in UK. The results were duly published in the 1991 Guide and to launch it Chapman decided to hold an Awards Ceremony for the winners. Unlike today, it was a time when there were few such ceremonies. Chapman modelled it on the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

, by commencing with a formal presentation of a certificate to each winner in turn before a group of their peers and media, and following with a luncheon to emphasise the event's social side. On that first ceremony, there were eight winners, including Chutney Mary Indian restaurant

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, SW10 as Best in UK, where the event was held. Media and public response to this was enormous. So by the time the next GCG was due for publication, the TOP 30 was increased to the new TOP 100 category, and from that no less than 18 ‘Best in Category were to be awarded. It was clear a bigger venue was needed, and one which was divorced from winning restaurants. Chapman had been to an Asian wedding at a Heathrow Hotel where the catering was by Madhu’s. Chapman suggested they did his catering and the

Park Lane Hotel The Sheraton Grand London Park Lane is a 5 Star hotel on Piccadilly, London. The hotel opened in 1927 as The Park Lane Hotel to designs by architects Adie, Button and Partners, in a grand Art Deco style, and was constructed by the developer ...

was chosen with a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile th ...

of 330 seats. It was the first time Madhu’s had catered for any event other than Asian weddings. Chapman organised the entire event. Of the 300 seats, 80 were taken by media.

Present

Between 18 and 20 Awards are given before an audience of restaurant personnel and their guests, sponsors,

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

, press and others, totalling some 800. The luncheon is a major feature of the event.

Catering Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and r ...

for any event attended by others in the catering trade is a challenge; Chapman's Awards the more so. Being an Indian Restaurant event, the restaurateurs are from all countries of the

subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

so it is no mean task for the caterer to satisfy 800 of his international peers, and one few caterers would attempt. The event is widely reported in the UK and in the

, and it is

televised Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

Sony Entertainment Television Asia Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is an Indian Hindi-language general entertainment pay television channel, that was launched on 30 September 1995, and is owned by Culver Max Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese Sony. SET India's Y ...

and is screened and repeated in Australia,

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Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

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, the

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, the

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

to millions of viewers.

The Achievement

Of the 9,000 Indian restaurants in Britain, each of which are scrupulously examined, only seventy restaurants become shortlisted with four to each of the eighteen Award categories. Of these only eighteen win the Awards. That is one-in-500 or 0.2% (zero-point two) percentage of the total.

Timescale

The Good Curry Guide Awards ceremony has been held each time a Good Curry Guide is published as follows:

Past and present winners of "Best in the UK" award

The chief Award is the Best in the UK. *1991/4 ~

Chutney Mary Chutney Mary is a fine-dining Indian restaurant in London, founded in 1990 by Ranjit Mathrani & Namita Panjabi through their restaurant company, whose current name is MW Eat. It was originally located in Kings Road, Chelsea, but relocated to St ...

, SW10 *1995/7 ~ Bombay Brasserie, SW7 *1998/9 ~ La Porte des Indes, W1 *1999/2001 ~ Chutney Mary, SW10 *2002/3 ~

Quilon Restaurant Taj Quilon Restaurant is a restaurant situated in Buckingham Gate, London. The restaurant was opened in 1999 and owned by Taj hotels. It is the first South Indian restaurant in the world to win a Michelin star, which it has retained since 2008. ...

, SW1 *2004/6 ~ Madhu's, Southall *2007/8 ~ Ithiaas, Birmingham *2009/10 ~ Masala World Group, London: Amaya, Chutney Mary, Veerswamys, Masala Zone (8) *2013 ~ Painted Heron, SW1

Good Curry Guide Awards Categories, 2013

Regional Awards These 25 restaurants (and one group of 11) are located all over the UK, and are considered to be the best in their region. Each of these winners, has been visited by Pat Chapman during 2012/3 and presented with their Award Certificate. *Best in the

North of England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

2013 BEST UK GROUP ~ Akbars (11 restaurants): Bradford (2), Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds (2), Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Rotherham & York. BEST IN YORKSHIRE ~ Ashoka Sheffield BEST IN MERSEYSIDE ~ Gulshan Liverpool BEST IN NORTH EAST ~ Valley 397 Newcastle *Best in the

Midlands, England The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

2013 BEST IN MIDLANDS ~ Anoki Burton, Derby, Nottingham BEST IN EAST MIDLANDS ~ Curry Fever Leicester Leics BEST IN WEST MIDLANDS ~ Maharaja Birmingham West Midlands BEST IN CENTRAL ENGLAND ~ Calcutta Brasserie Milton Keynes Bucks *Best in

South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshi ...

2013 (''alphabetical)'' BEST IN the SOUTH EAST ~ The Ambrette Margate Kent & Rye Sussex BEST ON SOUTH COAST ~ Bombay Bay, Southsea Hants BEST IN OUTER LONDON, WEST ~ Brilliant Southall, Middlesex BEST IN HOME COUNTIES, NORTH ~ Chez Mumtaj St Albans, Herts BEST IN SURREY ~ India Dining, Warlingham, Surrey BEST IN SOUTH ENGLAND ~ Massala, Cobham, Surrey BEST IN HOME COUNTIES, WEST ~ Mango Lounge Windsor Berks BEST IN OUTER LONDON, SOUTH ~ Sesame New Malden *Best in

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities and ...

2013 BEST IN THE WEST COUNTRY ~ Viceroy, Yeovil, Somerset BEST IN THE SOUTH WEST ~ Mysterica, Bristol BEST IN CORNWALL ~ Rajdoot, St Ives, Cornwall *Best in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

2013 BEST OVERALL in SCOTLAND ~ Verandah Edinburgh BEST IN NORTH SCOTLAND ~ Balaka St Andrews Fife BEST IN EAST SCOTLAND ~ Mya, Edinburgh, Lothian *Best in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

2013' BEST IN WALES ~ Moksh Cardiff Glamorgan BEST IN NORTH WALES ~ Bengal Dynasty Shotton & Llandudno Cuisine Awards ''(Not Awarded in 2012/3)'' *Best

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

*Best Nepalese *Best Indian *Best Pakistani *Best Sri Lankan *Best South East Asian Speciality Awards ''(Not Awarded in 2012/3)'' *Best

Chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a k ...

*Best

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*Best Newcomer Lifetime Achievement Award ''(Not Awarded in 2012/3)'' Awarded 2007 to Satish Arora, Chef Culinaire, Taj Group

Bibliography

• 1984 Good Curry Guide, Curry Club — • 1987 Good Curry Guide, Piatkus, London — • 1991 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Piatkus, London — • 1995 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Piatkus, London — • 1998 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Hodder & Stoughton, London — • 1999 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Hodder & Stoughton, London — • 2000 Cobra Curryholics’ Directory, John Blake Publishing, London — • 2001 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Simon & Schuster, London — • 2004 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Curry Club, Haslemere — • 2007 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London — • 2009 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London — • 2010 Cobra Good Curry Guide, John Blake Publishing, London — New cover same text as 2009. • 2013 Cobra Good Curry Guide, Curry Club Publisher, Haslemere — Complete rewrite.

DVD

• Good Curry Guide Award Ceremony 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20090105192355/http://www.patchapman.co.uk/catalogue/product/914/2461

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110929175920/http://globalmalaysians.com/feature/story.asp?file=%2F2006%2F4%2F21%2Ffeature%2F13970739&sec=feature *https://web.archive.org/web/20100410135959/http://www.patchapman.co.uk/page/cobra-good-curry-guide *http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/scene/gcg2004.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20110520033239/http://londoneats.com/news/default.asp?PressID=75 *https://web.archive.org/web/20100823215756/http://www.victoriasindia.co.uk/news.htm

*https://web.archive.org/web/20110710204551/http://www.ethnicnow.com/channels/food-drink/press-release/11/947/itihaas-scoops -top-honours-at-2007-cobra-good-curry-awards.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20110707151940/http://aphrohead.com/Product.aspx?pid=11927505 *http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article453496.ece *http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/restaurants/article-10796583-details/Britain%27s+best+curry/article.do *https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/nov/11/shopping *https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/mar/24/foodanddrink

{dead link, date=August 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes *https://web.archive.org/web/20090105192355/http://www.patchapman.co.uk/catalogue/product/914/2461
International Chef Award-1International Chef Award-2
Food and drink awards British cuisine Restaurant guides 1991 establishments in the United Kingdom