East London News A Force for the community…
IT WAS A NIGHT to remember as the UK’s top chefs and Asian food entrepreneurs gathered at the Park Plaza hotel in Westminster to watch – and receive! – this year’s Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards in the company of celebrities from the arts, sport and politics.
Customers of the competing food outlets – some 350,000 in all – were surveyed by ChefOnline, which runs an app allowing customers to order food or book tables on the go. The most popular units were then examined by a panel of judges, who determined the overall winner in each category.
The awards evening was hosted by journalist Samantha Simmonds and entertainer Paul Martin. The event organisers were keen to point out that the UK Curry industry contributes £5 billion annually to the UK economy and some 20% of UK restaurants fall within this sector. Today there are more “Indian” restaurants in Greater London than there are in Delhi and Mumbai combined!
The top award – Britain’s Best Asian restaurant 2019 – was scooped by Hot Chilli from Bolton, who came top of 2,400 entries.
Speaking about the Awards, Salik Mohammed Munim, Founder Member and CEO of ARTA, said, “Year on year, the standard for this competition continues to defy imagination. With more entrants than ever before, we have been immensely impressed by the quality on show this year. We commend all the winners and finalists of ARTA 2019. The selection process has been rigorous, and we witnessed some remarkable contestants, therefore picking the winners was not an easy task. All the winners and finalists should be equally proud. Asian cuisine has embedded itself deep within the beating heart of British culture and brings about so much creativity, flavour, vibrancy and joy to so many. There is something truly special about the Asian cuisine industry, which binds communities, regions and an entire nation by the common love of incredible food. The ARTA is the perfect platform to recognise the magicians behind the magic that makes the food so superb.”
The panel of Ambassadors and Judges
Paul Stuart Scully MP, Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam
Stephen Anthony McPartland MP, Member of Parliament for Stevenage
Dnald Sloan, Founder and Chair of the Oxford Cultural Collective
Dr Wali Tasar Uddin, Former President & Senior Advisor British Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce in UK
Councillor Mohammed Mujibur Rahman, Ex-Mayor of Corby
Samantha Simmonds, Journalist and Broadcaster
Devon Malcolm, Ex England International Cricketer
Chand Rahman, Executive Chef, Multi Award Winning Celebrity Chef
Graham Taylor, Senior Chef Lecturer, Cambridge Regional College
Kuldeep Singh, Lecturer & Celebrity Chef Nescot College.
Celebrity guests at the awards evening
Naughty Boy, Global music producer
Pascal Craymer, Reality TV star (The Only Way is Essex)
Farrah Sattur, Reality TV star (Ex on the beach)
Monty Panesar, England Cricket Hero
Samantha Simmonds, BBC Newsreader
Peter Rhoades-Brown, Ex-Chelsea footballing legend
Lawrie McMenemy MBE, Ex-Southampton FC Manager rated in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the twenty most successful managers
Jimmy Case, Ex-Liverpool footballing legend
Kalon Rae, The Voice contestant
Craig Simmons, Lord Mayor of Oxford
Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder and Chair of Cobra Beer
•Read more about it:
AFRA winners take centre stage
ARTA launches nominations in House of Lords
