Curry chefs to compete for the prestigious title ‘Curry Chef of the Year 2015’

Curry chefs from restaurants in Craven Arms, Shrewsbury, Gobowen and Oswestry will compete to be named the best in the county in a prestigious competition run by Shropshire Council.

The four finalists in the council’s 2015 ‘Curry Chef of the Year’ competition are:

• Massala, Craven Arms
• The Third Place, Shrewsbury
• Oswestry Tandoori, Oswestry
• Taj Tandoori, Gobowen

The winner of the award will be the restaurant in the Shropshire Council area with the nominated chef producing the best and most nutritious curry, side dish and rice accompaniment, as well as demonstrating high standards of food hygiene in their premises and catering practices.

The finalists will take part in a ‘cook-off’ in front of a panel of judges at Derwen College in Gobowen on Tuesday 11 August 2015 from 2pm until 3.30pm, where they will have one hour to cook and display their chosen menu.

All Indian, Bangladeshi, Balti, Thai and similar restaurants and takeaways in the Shropshire Council area with a food hygiene rating of three (satisfactory) or above were invited to enter the competition. The entries were assessed by the health protection and prevention team in public protection. The successful applicants were visited to ensure that good food safety practices are being met, and to taste and consider the nutritional value of the chef’s chosen dishes.

At the final cook-off the competing curries will be tasted and assessed by the judges, before the winner is awarded the title of Shropshire Council Curry Chef of the Year 2015.

Councillor Keith Barrow, Shropshire Council’s Leader, said: “I would like to thank all who entered this year, and my congratulations go to each of our four finalists.

“The competition has proved to be a resounding success since it was first held in 2010, and each year the standard goes up, making it very hard to choose between the excellent chefs who applied.

“The competition offers a great opportunity to boost local businesses by highlighting the many excellent curry houses that we have across the county. It also places the focus on the important work carried out by the public protection team to ensure that our restaurants and takeaways are safe, hygienic places.

“The title has gone to very worthy winners in previous years and this year’s cook-off is set to be an exciting close-fought event. The four successful restaurants have demonstrated exceptionally high standards of culinary expertise, hygiene, nutrition, flair and creativity to earn their place in the final.”

The judging panel includes representatives from Shropshire Council, Public Health and Derwen College. All finalists receive certificates and the winner is awarded a trophy.