The winners of the first ever hungryhouse.co.uk English Curry Awards were announced on the evening of the 25th of July 2011 at a glittering bash at The Sheridan Suite in Manchester. Nominations came in from all over England and the race to be crowned at this year’s debut awards ceremony was an extremely tight contest.

Managing Director of hungryhouse.co.uk Shane Lake said: “The awards were a runaway success and have a set a fantastic precedent for the years to come. There was a fantastic turnout and an electric atmosphere inside The Sheridan Suite which represented the vibrant and varied talents within the room. This year’s awards succeeded in both raising money for a worthy charity and paying tribute to England’s thriving curry industry.”

Over 700 guests attended the prestigious awards ceremony. The awards were presented by renowned stand-up comedian Jeff Mirza.

And the winners are…

The Restaurant of the Year Award went to Mumtaz, Bradford.

Takeaway of the Year Award sponsored by hungryhouse went to Cafe Masala, Sheffield.

Curry Lover of the Year Award went to The Soldiers Charity.

Best Supermarket Curry Award went to Waitrose.

Team of the Year Award went to Nawaab, Manchester.

Chef of the Year Award Gurpareet Bains, Indian Superfood.

Caterer of the Year Award went to Chak 89, London.

The Best of Manchester Award went to East Z East

Curry King of the Year Award went to Shabir Hussain.

Mr Hussain is a man who embodies the spirit of brilliant entrepreneurship coupled with achieving the highest standards in modern South Asian cuisine. With over 20 years of experience, he is today the proud Chief Executive of over ten restaurants employing more than 400 members of staff. This man works tirelessly to support the local communities’ particularly young people who are inspired by his relentless hard work and dedication in turning his dream into reality.


Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 went to Sanjay Anand.

Mr Anand is known as one of the top Asian caterers in the UK and his contribution to the Indian restaurant industry has been recognised with many accolades throughout his career. Sanjay Anand began his business career at 17 years old and has not looked back since, working hard to create one of the UK’s most esteemed and acclaimed Indian restaurants in the country, Madhu’s Brilliant Restaurant. He continues to be an inspirational figure to any young chefs looking to build their own business in the UK.


The Restaurant of the Year regional winners are:

North East went to The Rupali Restaurant, Newcastle.

North West went to Indian Ocean, Tameside.

Yorkshire went to Mumtaz, Bradford.

West Midlands went to Asha’s Restaurant, Birmingham.

East went to The Curry Queen Restaurant, Cambridge.

London went to Tamarind Restaurant, London.

South East went to 4500 Miles from Delhi, Oxford

South West went to The Eastern Eye, Bath


Regional Takeaway of the Year winners are:

North East went to Cafe Spice, Heaton, Newcastle-upon-tyne.

North West went to Saajan Takeaway, Manchester.

Yorkshire went to Cafe Masala, Sheffield.

East Midlands went to Out Of India, Leicestershire.

West Midlands went to Maliks Indian Takeaway, Chesterton, Newcastle-under-lyme.

East went to Moghul Tandoori, Cambridge.

London went to Tiffin Tin, West Hampstead.

South East went to Tehani, Southampton.

South West went to Papa Raj, Plymouth.


Performances on the evening included: Abbas Hasan, an artist who is proving to be a breath of fresh air within the Asian music industry, born in Canada and raised in France, this singer blends the various cultures and influences he has experienced growing up to reinvent Asian music for a new generation.

Romy Shay, known as ‘Mr Bolllywood’, brought a pop vibe to his sound and used his expressive vocal stylings to bring a new flavour to classic Asian music.

Burgeoning songstress Kiran Dee also performed, combining elements of bhangra, Bollywood and RnB to create a melting pot of modern sounds.

As well as paying tribute to England’s curry community the event raised funds for our charity partner the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. We are confident this will be the first of many successful English Curry Awards and we cannot wait to see what next year brings.