97 CURRY LIFE

Curry celebration

The Curry Life Awards 2022 took place in spectacular style at a brand new location in October, with broadcaster Adam Boulton hosting the proceedings. Find out what happened on the night itself, and which restaurants, chefs and takeaways were honoured, with a total of 43 awards up for grabs

Winter of discontent

Concerns over increases in the cost of energy and ingredients are growing among the curry industry, as it braces for a tough trading time over the winter season. Staff shortages show no sign of easing up either, as restaurant owners share their struggles when trying to employ staff from abroad

A fascinating history

Kismet restaurant in Burslem is credited with being Staffordshire’s first Indian restaurant and for helping many former employees set up their own curry houses. Its founder Ala Uddin Ahmed was also a prolific member of the local community, involved in improving race relations and promoting race equality

Excelling in Earlsfield

Nazmin’s restaurant in Earlsfield in southwest London has been a fixture in the neighbourhood for nearly 50 years. Curry Life caught up with owner Mayon Miah to find out how the restaurant has innovated over the years and why customers keep on coming back for more

Recipe for success

Shatkora Lamb is cooked in a rich gravy, with the bittersweet shatkora giving the dish an intense flavour. Find out what ingredients you need and how to cook your own delicious version

Editor in Chief

Syed Nahas Pasha pasha@currylife.uk

Editor Syed Belal Ahmed ahmed@currylife.uk

News & Features Editor Kim Benjamin info@currylife.uk

Contributors

Steve Watkins, Lee Lixenberg, Shamsul Islam, Samuel Ahmed, Tarin Pasha, Affan Chowdhury, Amjad Suleman

Commercial Advisor Emdadul Hoque Tipu General Manager Taslima Akhter

Consultant Advisors

Chef Dominic Chapman, Chef Rupert Rowley Chef Mark Poynton, Mo Gherras, Chef Syed Zohorul Islam, Chef Utpal Mondal, Chef Abul Monsur, Harjinder Singh Bahra

Photographer Kois Miah Graphic Designer Molay Chandan Saha Avishek Bhattacharya

Appointed Representatives:

Syed Jaglul Pasha

Syed Utba Sargunan Venugopal Dhaka, Bangladesh New York, USA Nagpur, India Tel: +880 181 921 9479 Tel: +1 (347) 884 3943 Tel: +9194223 00132 info@currylife.uk info@currylife.uk info@currylife.uk

Curry Life is a bi-monthly magazine widely regarded as the British Curry Houses’ authoritative voice and allied businesses in Britain. Part of the Curry Life Events Limited, the Curry Life Magazine is distributed free to Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Nepalese and Sri Lankan restaurants in Britain. It can also be obtained by subscription £40 a year (UK) and £50 elsewhere.

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Reproduction of its contents in whole or part without written permission is not permitted. We regard ourselves as an ethical magazine

committed to fair, responsible reporting and comment. We cannot be held accountable for editorial or advertising errors, omissions or claims.

Correspondence Address Curry Life Magazine 23 Keswick Gardens, Ilford, Essex IG4 5NF, UK. Tel. 020 8550 4179 Editorial: 07956 588 777 Email: info@currylife.uk facebook.com/CurryLifeMagazine @CurryLifeMag

CURRY LIFE ISSUE - 97 (Sept.-Oct. 2022) Price - £4.95 (UK,where sold)

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Cover : Food by Atul Kochhar

Celebrations galore at Curry Life

with food prepared by our chefs from the UK, giving everyone who attended a taste of what was to come! We are thrilled to reveal that the six-day festival was the most successful yet in the history of the event, showing just how important it is to be able to champion the flavours and creativity of British Curry on an international stage. Our chefs from the UK were joined by two additional chefs from Kolkata; as well as showcasing some fantastic British curry and British dishes over six days, the event also featured a cooking masterclass led by Michelin-starred chef Dominic Chapman. We’re already turning our attention to the 2023 British Curry Festival so watch this space!

Staffordshire’s first Indian restaurant in 1962 and sadly passed away last year. You can find out more about his enduring legacy in our feature on Kismet in this issue. Our Lifetime Achievement award meanwhile went to Abdul Ghani, who founded Shezan in Edinburgh in 1977. Nearly 50 years since its opening, the restaurant is still going strong and continues to set the standards for Indian cuisine.

Deepening economic crisis

We’ve had an incredible time in the last month. In early October, we celebrated 43 winners at the Curry Life Awards, which this year were hosted at a brand new venue with a new caterer on board, and chaired by Sky TV presenter Adam Boulton. All our attendees enjoyed a fantastic evening of networking, as well as first-class dance entertainment from Karan Pangali and some delicious food. As well as revealing the Best Restaurants, Best Chefs, Best Takeaways and the Editor’s Choice Awards, we also honoured two very special curry industry pioneers. Our Special Curry Legend Award went to Ala Uddin Ahmed, the founder of Kismet in Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent. He has been credited with opening

Making a mark in Dhaka

Not long after the Awards took place, the Curry Life team travelled to Dhaka in Bangladesh, where we spent two exciting weeks preparing and hosting the British Curry Festival at the InterContinental Dhaka. It’s been 12 years since the Festival was last hosted in the city and Dhaka was also the inaugural location for the British Curry Festival when it debuted in 2002, so this year’s event marked a memorable double celebration.

We were also delighted to be joined by Lord Karan Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer and a longtime supporter of Curry Life, who visited Bangladesh for the very first time. We hosted a gala dinner ahead of the Festival’s opening,

The last month has also shown us how quickly things can change on the economic and political front. We may have a new Prime Minister and Cabinet in place (yet again), but many challenges remain for the hospitality industry. A recent UKHospitality survey has revealed that many of the UK’s hospitality sector are at risk of business failure in early 2023 due to the cost of doing business, with more than a third of those surveyed saying they expect to be operating at a loss or be unviable by the end of this year. The cost of living crisis is also impacting heavily on consumers, leading to many reining in spending on dining out. At Curry Life, we have spoken to dozens of curry houses across the UK, all of whom share similar concerns. As we head into the festive season, traditionally the hospitality industry’s busiest time of the year, restaurants need to up their game with their festive menus and provide some innovative twists and special dishes, in order to maximise spend in the run up to Christmas.

Tough times ahead

Tough times ahead

Soaring energy prices, ingredients that have doubled and tripled in price, a fall in restaurant spend, staff shortages … the number of challenges facing the curry industry continue to mount ahead of the festive period - traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for hospitality businesses. Only time will tell what consumer spending will look like over Christmas but some surveys are already suggesting that many will be cutting back on spending, because of the rising cost of living. A YouGov survey released in late October points to how a third of adults surveyed (34%) say they will cut back on gatherings such as meals with family, friends and colleagues, while a similar number (33%) say they will reduce food expenditure.

Curry houses face an uphill struggle to keep their businesses afloat as the festive season approaches

The latest data from Barclaycard meanwhile, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, shows that 51% of those surveyed are planning to spend more evenings at home over the coming months to save money and 60% say they will cut back on eating out at restaurants. While this might be comforting news for takeaways, there is a real fear that spiralling costs will lead to widespread business failure.

A survey from trade association UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and Hospitality Ulster, released at the end of October, suggests that a third of the UK’s hospitality sector is at risk of business failure in early 2023 due to the cost of doing business crisis. The organisations’ joint Q4 Hospitality Members’ Survey showed that 35% of respondents were expecting to be operating at a loss or be unviable by the end of the year, with 96% experiencing higher energy costs and 93% facing food price inflation.

Continued uncertainty about rising inflation, future regulation and staffing is causing a crisis of confidence among business owners. In a joint statement, the trade associations said: “The results clearly lay out the stark situation facing hospitality businesses, with many on the brink due to the cost of doing business crisis. The vulnerability of the sector due to soaring energy costs, crippling rises in the cost of goods and dampening consumer confidence is on full display in this survey and if urgent action isn’t taken, it is looking incredibly likely that we will lose a significant chunk of Britain’s iconic hospitality sector in the coming weeks and months.”

Balancing act

Curry Life has spoken to many restaurant owners all over the UK over the last month about their concerns for the future and the feedback has been the same:

crippling energy prices that threaten the business, with one restaurateur saying that energy costs have risen from £1,000 to £4,000 a month, the price of ingredients rising sharply across the board – from vegetables to meat, to fish and issues with recruiting staff.

“One dish used to have ten pieces of chicken included, now we’ve reduced this to 8 pieces so we can make what we have more cost-effective,” he says. “People expect quality ingredients and that’s what we are committed to delivering. We’re not substituting, we’re buying the same ingredients to ensure the quality, but because we are

One curry house owner who spoke to Curry Life has cut his existing staff, reducing numbers across front of house and in the kitchen, and has also reduced portion sizes to compensate for paying more for ingredients.

As a Member of Parliament, I work every day to help resolve the issues my constituents are facing. These issues cover a broad range of areas such as passports, visas, pensions, health appointments, and transport links. My team and I were pleased to assist, and I am glad that the sponsor licence has now been approved.

Other restaurateurs have highlighted how they have taken dishes off the menu that use ingredients that are more expensive, while some restaurants have reduced their opening hours so they don’t have to pay as much in wages. They have also asked family members to help out ad hoc with the business, allowing them to be a bit more flexible with staffing arrangements and to call on lastminute help when they need it.

Recruitment challenges

Another restaurant owner based in the north-west of England spoke to Curry Life about how staff shortages had made it near to impossible for him to operate his business, a fine dining Indian restaurant. Based in a small town, he said It is very difficult to recruit and retain quality chefs and front of house staff to work in his restaurant, and consequently he has been looking to recruit staff from outside the UK.

Having submitted a sponsor licence application for his restaurant to the Home Office earlier this year, in March, the owner says he had to wait nearly six months for it to be approved and says the delay in processing the application left the business in a very vulnerable position and struggling as a result. It got to the stage where he had to get his local MP, Damien Moore involved to find out why there was such a long delay. The Home Office states that applications will be processed as

quickly as possible, with the standard service for a sponsor licence application expected to take eight weeks.

“It was a very painful experienceyou pay higher wages because not many people want to come and work in a small town,” the owner says. “So you do everything to please the chefs - higher wages, providing accommodation …and yet there is no explanation from the Home Office for the delay, no courtesy call, no communication. They should be more supportive and understanding of our situation.”

The owner says he knows many other restaurateurs facing a similar position and says that if there is such a delay in getting the application, it will have a knock-on effect on all the other stages involved in recruiting from abroad.

“We’ve got to apply for a visa now and that will also take time - and what if someone resigns during this period?,” he says. “The whole process for recruiting someone from abroad has made my life more challenging and simply not supported my business.”

Curry Life approached Damien Moore MP for his view on the situation. He said: "As a Member of Parliament, I work every day to help resolve the issues my constituents are facing. These issues cover a broad range of areas such as passports, visas, pensions, health appointments, and transport links. My team and I were pleased to assist, and I am glad that the sponsor licence has now been approved."

WorkPemitCloud, which deals with a large number of visa applications for employers, says the UK government should revisit some of the barriers placed on skilled worker visas, including English language requirements, which it says are too demanding and not necessary for the catering industry, and the complexity of visa applications.

Damien Moore MP

“Visa officers often judge the technical competency of chefs and restaurant managers,” it says. “Since they do not have relevant background in the catering industry, their decision often leads to wrong judgments. This affects the employer dearly.”

Energy efforts

On the energy front, in the last few months, umbrella groups such as the British Takeaway Campaign (BTC), of which Curry Life is a member, and UKHospitality, have been lobbying the government to ease pressure on energy costs. In the last month, the Government has introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which provides energy bill relief for nondomestic customers in Great Britain. Discounts will be applied to energy usage initially between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023.

At the time it was announced, UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The government’s

intervention to support hospitality businesses facing soaring energy costs this winter is extremely welcome and it’s fantastic to see this legislation introduced. The measures in this Bill will provide relief to all manner of hospitality businesses, from the smallest companies to the largest.”

Nicholls added

“What the sector really needs now is the introduction of longer-term measures that can allow us to boost economic growth, namely a lower rate of VAT and further business rates relief,” she said. 

however that the reality of this crisis means that, even with this support, energy bills will still be much higher than last year and many hospitality businesses will struggle to make it through to next spring.

Director of Pembroke restaurant company banned for 7 years Sat Bains represents UK in global project to reduce food waste

Michelinstarred chef Sat Bains represented the UK in the Why Waste? Project, which challenges three of the most influential chefs from around the world to transform food unjustly categorised as 'waste' into imaginative and delicious dishes.

Abul Kalam, the sole director of Choose Chilli, which ran Mehfil’s Indian restaurant in Pembroke’s Main Street shopping arcade until 2021, has been disqualified as a company director for seven years. Kalam, aged 48, was unable to explain over £400,000 of his restaurant’s income and expenditure after his business folded. This included £35,000 he claimed through the Bounce Back Loan (BBL) scheme during the Covid pandemic, the total of which was received in March 2021. The company ceased trading and went into voluntary liquidation in July 2021, owing almost £70,000.

Investigators at the Insolvency Service discovered that both the £25,000 BBL payment and the £10,000 top-up loan had been transferred into a bank account in Kalam’s name the day after the money had arrived in Choose Chilli’s bank account. Under the rules of the BBL scheme, money borrowed had to be used for the economic benefit of the business but Kalam provided no evidence that any of the £35,000 had been used to support Choose Chilli, and the amount remained outstanding when the restaurant went into liquidation.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from Abul Kalam, after he didn’t dispute that he had caused Choose Chilli to obtain a Bounce Bank Loan and a BBL top-up loan totalling £35,000 and failed to ensure the funds were used for the economic benefit of Choose Chilli’s business, which was a breach of the terms of the BBL. Kalam’s disqualification was effective from 30 September 2022 and will last for seven years. 

Bains was accompanied by CésareTroisgros representing France, from the three Michelin-starred La Maison Troisgros, while Dominique Crenn, the only female chef in the US with three Michelin stars, represented the US.

The aim of the Why Waste? project, run by chef Massimo Bottura, is to create engaging content to inspire people to adopt a more responsible behaviour to save food from being wasted by asking the question ‘why is this waste?’.

Each chef was given food items by Bottura that are perceived as waste, and asked to transform these into something new to inspire people to look at leftover food differently. Bains’ challenges included turning vegetable trimmings into tutti frutti ice cream made with candied vegetables, complete with a cone and red syrup made from beetroot scraps. He was also given stale bread, which he blended into a paste, before drying it in the oven and frying the paste to make crackers. Crenn made a frozen peach "smoothie" from over-ripe fruit and a tomato millefeuille from stale bread while Troisgros produced a carrot salad from vegetable trimmings and an iced dessert from over-ripe fruit.

"Approximately 17% of food is wasted at the consumerlevel while 10% of the world goes hungry - in our kitchens, at home, we can make a significant difference, starting with simple habits that save food from waste,” said Bottura. “As chefs you see leftovers as ingredients that have the potential to be something special.”

The challenges are available to watch on FineDiningLovers.com, an international digital platform supported by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. 

Industry bodies join forces to tackle hospitality recruitment crisis

Hospitality industry bodies have written to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions outlining the severity of the recruitment crisis, urging him to publicly support the steps being taken to address it and to implement policies to alleviate recruitment pressures.

In a joint letter to Mel Stride MP, UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the Institute of Hospitality and charity Springboard, have called on the Minister to support a new industrywide recruitment campaign, after a survey of hospitality businesses showed the current vacancy rate stands at 11% compared to the UK average of 4%, a problem costing the industry £22bn a year.

Outlining the difficulties businesses are having in recruiting, the letter points to the newly-launched Hospitality Rising campaign, which

aims to change the perception of what it’s like to work in pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels and encourage more people to take up fastprogressing and fulfilling careers in hospitality.

In a joint statement, the organisations said: “The recruitment crisis currently facing pubs, restaurants, hotels, cafés and bars across the UK is causing an existential threat to our industry. This is not a problem facing just one type of venue or hospitality business, it is a universal issue, and it is critical because brilliant, passionate people are the lifeblood of hospitality.

“Since the pandemic, vacancies in our sector have rocketed, with many businesses now struggling to recruit the staff needed to simply keep trading day to day. Couple this with the current extreme cost of doing business and you have a perfect storm which will force many businesses to close for good without urgent intervention."

We’re the dairy experts who used to make your favourite cream now we make our own

Chef Ashok Kumar named in final ten for National Chef of the Year competition Immigration officers raid Indian restaurant

Ashok Kumar, head chef, Atul Kochhar's Hospitality Group, Petts Wood made it to the final ten of the National Chef of the Year 2022 competition. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the prestigious culinary final. The winner was announced on 1 November, with Ben Murphy, head chef, Launceston Place Restaurant, London taking the title, with Matthew Smith, head chef, Inver Restaurant & Rooms, Argyll & Bute in second place and April Lily Partridge, sous chef at The Ledbury, London taking third place.

The winner was chosen following a cook-off, where the chefs served up their three-course menu from the initial entry stage, taking into account any seasonal tweaks, with a starter of fish, seafood or a vegetarian dish and a main course using British or Irish venison and incorporating more than one element whether offal, a secondary cut or prime cut. The dessert brief was left wide open, with chefs asked to prepare a warm or cold dessert which provides balance to the menu and has a clear wow factor. 

Rose and Lime restaurant in Darlington was raided by immigration officers at the end of October, according to reports in the local press. They said the officers carried out the enforcement visit after receiving information about staff potentially working at the venue illegally. Officers arrested a 51-year-old Bangladeshi male who had overstayed his visa and had no permission to work. He has been detained and will be dealt with according to immigration rules. Reports said the business owner now faces a potential fine of £20,000 for employing someone without the right to work. 

Graduate launches curry paste business

A University of Chester graduate has launched a business helping people to create their own signature curries after developing the enterprise at the university. Hamza Hussain officially presented Mona’s Curry Base to the market this year and offered tastings at a UK launch event. Named after his mother who created the recipe, the gluten-free and vegan product is an authentic Indian curry sauce base, suitable for Halal and Kosher diets, which with a few additional fresh ingredients can be used to make any curry. Mona’s Curry Base has already secured interest and significant orders from a range of businesses, universities, caterers and the NHS. Dr Connie Hancock, associate professor and head of the Department of Management at Chester Business School said: “I am so pleased and proud that now Hamza has graduated, he has secured backing for his product and delivered an amazing product launch. I can’t tell you how delighted we all are to see our alumni, Hamza, join the ranks of our students who have successfully launched businesses that have come to life at, and been supported by, the University of Chester Business School.”

Hussain said: “I’d like to thank all my lecturers at Chester Business School for giving me the help and motivation to set up Mona’s Curry. If it wasn’t for the opportunities that the Business School provided, I would not be where I am today.” 

National Hospitality Academy makes courses available internationally

Online hospitality training provider The National Hospitality Academy is offering its training courses internationally as part of a new partnership with UAE-based training provider Save Fast, which provides training across the Middle East and Africa. The National Hospitality Academy will provide Save Fast with 70 e-learning courses covering everything from food hygiene to GDPR, and from cellar training to customer service.

Training and exams can be completed online. The courses are available through a subscription model priced according to the number of people who will need to access the courses. The courses can be modified to include videos and content specific to each business and will soon be available in multiple languages. 

Worthing restaurateur banned for suppressing takings

The director of Kazitula Limited, a company trading as restaurant and takeaway Shafiques, on Goring Road in Worthing, West Sussex has been banned by the courts for eight years after he suppressed the true amount of takings in tax returns.

Kazitula Limited went into liquidation in April 2017 but its insolvency triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service. Investigators uncovered that for nearly seven years between April 2010 and January 2017, director Shafique Uddin, also known as Sofiq Uddin, caused Kazitula Limited to file inaccurate tax returns.

This meant the restaurant under declared and underpaid taxes in the region of £320,000. On 14 October in

the High Court of Justice, Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Mullen made an eight-year disqualification order against Uddin.

involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Lawrence Zussman, deputy head of company investigations at the Insolvency Service, said:

When making the order, Judge Mullen said that “Mr Uddin caused the company to file inaccurate tax returns over nearly seven years. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that this was for personal gain. No other reason for concealing sales is offered.”

An eight-year ban came into effect from 4 November, with Uddin banned from directly, or indirectly, becoming

“Considering that the suppression of the restaurant’s takings took place over seven years, it is clear that Shafique Uddin knowingly caused the company to renege on the taxes it owed.

Much of the public service is funded by the correct amount of taxes being paid and that’s what makes Shafique Uddin’s misconduct all the more serious. The court recognised the severity of his actions and removed Shafique Uddin from the corporate environment for a substantial amount of time.” 

KBE Drinks introduces 5 Walla Chai Tea cream liqueur

like to have an after-dinner drink in Indian restaurants, and of those, nearly two thirds would choose a liqueur. Cream liqueurs in particular have been growing in popularity in the UK for some time and now make up just over 40% in volume terms of the 44m total liqueur bottles sold each year.

KBE Drinks has worked closely in partnership with numerous Indian restaurants to develop the chai recipe to ensure that it’s the perfect match for food as well as the after-dinner occasion. The result of this collaboration means that 5 Walla chai tea cream liqueur is made from a unique recipe of five spices, blending cinnamon, clove, cardamom, ginger and vanilla to produce a creamy and delicious drink that transports your taste buds to India. The standout black bottle pays tribute to India’s rich cultural heritage through the iconic imagery of a chai walla, inspired by famous artwork found on traditional Indian matchboxes.

KBE Drinks, the premium world beer, cider and spirits company, has announced the launch of a new product - 5 Walla, a rum-based chai tea cream liqueur specifically tailored for the afterdinner drinking occasion in Indian restaurants.

5 Walla, which launched at the end of October, has an ABV of 17% and comes with an RRP of £21. It has been created as a way for Indian restaurateurs to extend the visit of their customers who perhaps don’t want a dessert but are looking for a post-dinner digestif. Research shows that *61% of consumers

Tom Elliot Frey, innovation brand manager at KBE Drinks said, “We’re delighted to be bringing the UK’s first and only alcoholic cream liqueur into the British Curry channel and have used our long-standing relationship with the channel to produce a drink which lets consumers experience a new way to drink chai tea. We’re confident

5 Walla will appeal to both those consumers who already enjoy chai lattes and even chai cocktails, but also encourage new consumers to experience chai and ultimately ‘own’ the after dinner drinking occasion, providing the perfect end to an Indian meal.” 

*Survey conducted with 300 UK adults aged 18-50

The curry industry gathered together in London for the Curry Life Awards 2022

ATION

Curry Life Media Group

hosted its annual Curry Life Awards, now in its 13th edition, at a brand new location this year, the Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London. The ceremony, which recognises the best chefs and restaurateurs in the UK and Europe, was held on 9 October. Over the course of the evening, 40 awards were unveiled across several categories, including the Editor's Choice, the Best Restaurants, the Best Chefs, the Best Takeaways and Best in the EU (Sweden), category.

In addition, three special commendations were announced. Abdul Ghani of Shezan Indian restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the curry industry. Ghani has been involved in the restaurant sector for almost fifty years, having set up his first Indian restaurant in Glasgow in the mid1970s. He opened Shezan in 1977 - many celebrities and government officials have passed through its doors over the years and the restaurant remains hugely popular with customers today.

A Special Curry Legend Award was also given to the late Ala Uddin Ahmed, founder of Kismet restaurant in Stoke-on-Trent. The British Bangladeshi businessman opened Staffordshire's first Indian restaurant in 1962 and sadly passed away last year. His son, Sala Uddin, continues to run the restaurant, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Another special award went to the InterContinental Dhaka, an IHG

Gala Dinner

InterContinental Dhaka - International Hospitality Award

Karan Pangali

Curry Legend-Award - Kismet Restaurant Burslem

The Fat Buddha, Maidenhead

Mint Bay Fine Indian Cuisine -

Indian Lounge - Ramsbottom

Lifetime Achivement Award- Abdul Ghani (Senior)

hotel, which won the International

Nayar and marketing director

of the hotel, which recently

October.

A night to remember

Several hundred restaurateurs, politicians, chefs, entrepreneurs and journalists attended the prestigious awards ceremony, which was hosted by Adam Boulton, journalist and broadcaster and former editor-at-large of Sky News. Guests at the event included Minister of State at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Paul Scully MP, Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer and ex-chairman of the Confederation of British Industries (CBI). Labour Party MP Rushanara Ali, the first person of Bangladeshi origin to have been elected to the House of Commons and Mark Finch, UK account management director of online ordering company Just Eat UK were also at the event.

Hospitality Award. General manager Ashwani

Shahidus Sadeque accepted the award on behalf

hosted the British Curry Festival from the 20th-26th

Minister Paul Scully MP

Lord Karan Bilimoria

Curry Life Editor Syed Belal Ahmed

Curry Life Editor in Chief Syed Nahas Pasha

Broadcaster - Adam Boulton

Mark Finch of JUST EAT

Fusion Foods Takeaway

Namaste & Kings Prosecco Lounge

Indian Diner

The Indian Ocean

The Viceroy Restaurant

Little India Takeaway

Ahad Tandoori

Nawab Lounge

Masala City

Nazreen Restaurant

Darshan Nepal

Samson Sohail and Lord Bilimoria

Indian Lounge owner and family

Guests at the event

Westbourne Tandoori team enjoying award winning moments

Curry Lounge

Junoon

Rimjhim Indian Restaurant

Kismet Restaurant Hartshill Nazmin's

Indigo Indian Dining

Monty's Curry Centre

The Awards were preceded by the annual World Curry Expo, hosted at the same venue, where leading suppliers to the curry industry gathered to showcase their products and services. Spice, rice, produce importers, wholesalers, curry sauce, paste, pickle, chutney, ready made meal suppliers, kitchen equipment, drinks and beverage companies participated, offering exclusive deals to show visitors. Attendees could also discover new products and services on offer to the Indian restaurant market.

Visitors arrived at the venue from 4.30pm, with guests enjoying a selection of delicious canapés and having the chance to network, before settling down for the main event which started at 7pm. British footballer Hamza Choudhury, who is of Bangladeshi origin, and a member of Leicester City's triumphant FA Cup 2021 team was in attendance too.

Challenging times ahead

This year's Curry Life Awards were broadcast live on social media as in previous years, with winners making their way to the stage one-by-one, walking along a red carpet, with the moment captured on camera. Curry Life editor Syed Belal Ahmed delivered the welcome address, and outlined how, following Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, the curry Paprika

Club

Guests enjoyed plenty of photo opportunities (above and below)

Enjoying the pre-Gala reception JUST EAT guests Cobra Beer stall

Shamsuddin khan and his son

industry is now facing the threat of continued price inflation, the high costs of living and rising energy prices.

“Due to one crisis after another, the curry industry is facing the worst challenge in its history,” he said. “Curry houses have undergone various transformations to keep pace with the times.”

Ahmed expressed hope that the curry industry will move forward by facing all the challenges in the future, as it has done in the past. Lord Karan Bilimoria said that the government has provided some significant assistance to help people and businesses in difficult times, but signalled that the crisis is not over yet, and that the government should continue to support the sizeable curry industry sector.

“Currently the curry industry contributes billions of pounds annually to the British economy,” he said. “This sector, including delivery services, employs hundreds of thousands of people, so it needs to be strengthened.”

Paul Scully MP said: "We will continue to stand by the hospitality sector and will continue to work to improve it." In this context, he mentioned the government's 400bln pound stimulus during the Covid period. MP Rushanara Ali also spoke, while Just Eat’s Mark Finch highlighted the extent to which Indian food is popular, saying that Indian cuisine continues to top the list of food orders on Just Eat.

Syed Nahas Pasha, editor-in-chief of Curry Life Magazine gave a closing speech thanking the guests. He said that curry lovers from different parts of the UK had all come together to attend this event.

“In 2023, Curry Life will be twenty years old,” he said. “Curry Life magazine will continue to act as a mouthpiece for the curry industry in the future.”

Guests enjoyed a variety of dishes for dinner, alongside a series of cultural performances on the stage from global dancing sensation Karan Pangali, artistic director of KSpark Entertainments. Cobra Bear, Unisoft, Work Permit Cloud, Travel Link, City Bank of Bangladesh and Halda Valley also supported the event, in collaboration with the headline sponsor Just Eat.

Vimal Rana - Indian Rooster Leicester Zakir Khan - Zyka Restaurant

Salique Meah - Nellie Restaurant

Virendra Sharma MP, Syed Belal Ahmed, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Rushanara Ali MP, Syed Nahas Pasha, Paul Scully MP and Adam Boulton.

Syed Nahas Pasha, Dominic Chapman with guests with guests from Dhaka

Syed Nahas Pasha with media friends

Chef Eshan Miah of Zaman's

TAbul Monsur of Taj Cuisine

Lord Bilimoria with guests

Just Eat Stall

WPC Stall

Lakeland Dairy Stall Chefs and the Curry Life team

A Taste of Rajasthan

In north-west India, in the deserts of Rajasthan, there are storms that colour the sky red, and its from these that the cooling Lal Toofan takes its name. Youll find this cool, full-bodied lager perfectly complements hot and spicy cuisine.

StampCards. How it works.

It’s simple to reward your loyal customers, and good for business too.

StampCards is the exclusive Just Eat loyalty programme that’s the ideal way to reward your loyal customers. With a discount for loyal customers and more orders for you, StampCards is a win-win. We’ve designed it so that rewards earned at your restaurant can only be claimed at your restaurantso being part of StampCards is sure to bring in more business and more new customers.

Plus, it’s free to sign up and join, simple to set-up and track.

Loyal customers are loving it

A customer collects a stamp every time they order from your restaurant

Each stamp is worth 10% of their order (exc. fees and charges) and will be saved on their own StampCard.

Once the customer has collected 5 stamps from your restaurant, they will receive the discount for their sixth order. Their discount is only applied to that sixth order and it happens automatically, so you only pay when the customer places their sixth order with you.

The discount the customer redeems is a total of their 5 stamps they have previously collected from your restaurant.

See how it performs

Neighbourhood gem

Nazmin’s in Earlsfield has been serving delicious cuisine for more than five decades and continues to wow diners with its inventive dishes

Mayon Miah

Earlsfield, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth, has for years been overshadowed by its more famous neighbouring boroughs of Wimbledon and Clapham. But for those in the know, it’s where you’ll find Nazmin’s, a gem of a restaurant that’s been part of the community since 1966. While it has not been under the same ownership over the years, it has maintained its reputation for providing high-quality, innovative Indian cuisine. The restaurant is today owned by Mayon Miah, who started working at Nazmin’s when he was just fifteen years old. The restaurant’s founder, Mr Choudhury named it after his daughter, who incidentally continues to have a strong presence in the area. Her firm of solicitors, NC Law, which was founded in 2010, is based just two doors away.

Visiting Nazmin’s on a Monday evening, soon after its opening time of 5pm, the place was already gearing up for a busy

service. There were several takeaways being prepared and groups of diners setting down for dinner, testament to the restaurant’s appeal. Earlsfield is an affluent corner of London with good transport links to the city centre and well-performing schools. For a restaurant, it’s an attractive catchment area spanning the younger generation, those with young families and older clientele with disposable income.

Opportunity knocks

Miah grew up in the surrounding area in Tooting, and was involved in the restaurant industry from an early age, with his father owning an Indian restaurant in Battersea. It wasn't there however, but at Nazmin’s that Miah started his career in the restaurant industry, after his father became ill.

“I realised my family needed me so I started working at Nazmin’s; my

cousin used to work there and he got me a job as a commis chef,” recalls Miah. “Mr Choudury was a hard man to impress, he used to sit in a corner and observe everyone. He had a reputation for being strict but he never spoke to me and I did everything I was asked to. What I didn’t know at the time was that he was looking for a successor to run the business as none of his children were interested in working in the industry.”

Just six months after he started, in 1992, Miah was asked if he would be interested in running the business in the future. Coincidentally, his brotherin-law was looking to run a restaurant so it was an easy decision to make. With his brother-in-law working in the kitchen, Miah trained in front of house and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast forward to the present time, and in the near 30-years Miah has been involved in the business, Nazmin’s has undergone several transformations. When he took it over, Miah set about putting his own stamp on the business, revamping the menu and the interior. Ensuring that most tables would only seat a maximum of two for example

meant the restaurant was busy most nights, with a quick turnaround between diners. Business was booming at the time, so much so that in 2001, when an opportunity arose to buy the fish and chip restaurant next door, Miah did not hesitate to expand Nazmin’s existing space to a 200-seat restaurant, including a function room.

“It was the talk of the town and it remained this way until 2016,” recalls Miah. “Sadly by 2016, business conditions became tough and I sold the freehold and went back to owning just the one premises.”

Today, the building next door is once again a fish and chip shop but Miah has no regrets about having had to scale down the business. “If you make it bigger, your overheads go up, everything increases,” he says. “You can keep more control over different aspects by staying small and not stretching yourself too much. A bigger curry house can be difficult to fill on weekdays, especially in the location we are in, where there is a lot of competition, particularly from neighbouring Tooting. And with the current trading conditions, we are

seeing bars and restaurants closing every day so we have to focus on every tiny detail, which is manageable if your business is not too big.”

It’s a decision that seems to have paid off as just three years later, in 2019, Nazmin’s picked up an award after being named Wandsworth’s best eatery at the Wandsworth Business Awards. Such were Miah’s modest expectations, that he went to the awards ceremony completely unprepared, not expecting to be called up on stage as the winner and had to do a speech spontaneously.

“The restaurant has been established for 56 years and we are still going strong - not many others can say the same,” says Miah. “I was over the moon when I realised Nazmin’s had won and it means all the hard work has paid off. I was sometimes working seven days a week to fill the gaps when other staff were off.”

All work and no play

It is this work ethic - being involved in every aspect of the business, from front

Innovative dishes on the menu

of house, to the kitchen to managing the supplies that Miah says is another factor in the restaurant’s success. His older brother was the chef up until 2009, but then had to retire from the business due to health reasons, but it set Miah thinking just how vital the chef can be to the business.

“Chefs, like any other staff member, can leave anytime so technically your business is held ransom - once a chef leaves it can put you in quite a precarious position,” he says. “I realised I needed to work in the kitchen so I could step in if necessary. Having mostly done front of house, I then

turned my attention to mastering kitchen and cooking skills.”

In 2009, Miah took on the role of chef, and trained for six months. “It’s hard but if you have the mindset that you can achieve anything, then it’s possible,” he says.”I don’t think I realised my passion for cooking until I took it on.” Miah also did a professional course in 2016. He continues to do the bulk of the cooking but also has support from a Tandoor chef, who has been at Nazmin’s for the last five years. There are a total of 9 staff members in the kitchen and between four to five running front of house.

While Miah has studied hard to master cooking (he also did a professional cooking course in 2016), every aspect of running a business has been learnt on the job, from practical experience. And his advice? Keep it small and simple and don’t cut corners.

“Never compromise on quality, otherwise you will have no one to blame but yourself,” he says. "I sell lots of butter chicken every week and it is made with Anchor butter - never a substitute. Similarly, I don’t use cheap ghee or mutton - I recently introduced lamb shanks to the menu as they are full of flavour.”

Miah is aware that his work ethic probably does more harm than good - he also picks up most of the restaurant’s supplies and delivers them himself, so having some time off is key. The restaurant is closed every Tuesday to allow him and the staff time to refresh and recharge but even he admits that he often spends the day cooking up new dishes. Being the chef means he can also easily customise dishes.

Doesn’t that add more to his plate (so to speak), particularly as Nazmin’s already has quite a big menu? “I want people to leave with a smile on their face,” asserts Miah. “If they order the wrong dish or it’s not to their

Nazmin's interior

Mayon Miah with staff of Nazmin's

taste, I want to see what I can do to ensure they do enjoy it. Customers like being able to choose the strength of the curry - it adds a personalised touch.” Dishes are even named after customers, as is the case for the Caroline Bhuna, named after a diner who wanted a dish that was not on the menu. So, as Miah puts it, one was invented for her on the spot.

Seize the day

Like many other restaurants, Nazmin’s did a roaring trade in takeaways during the Covid-19 pandemic, so much so that it ran out of space to handle the growing amount of orders. Undeterred, Miah recalls getting a measuring tape out one night and working out the extra space he needed (including building an area where drivers could pick up takeaways safely with as little contact as possible) before getting builders down the following day to make his idea a reality. He also took the opportunity to refurbish the restaurant

interior during Covid, when it was closed to in-house dining, replacing bench-style dining with more intimate booths that are both aesthetically pleasing and which also ensure diners are not sitting on top of each other.

Miah has a keen eye for design and is also responsible for producing Nazmin’s vast menu, as well as taking responsibility for its social media activity such as its Facebook and Instagram pages. He is also a strong advocate for technology and has been an early adopter of all things online. He installed EPOS systems close to 25 years ago and most of the restaurant’s orders are done online, rather than on the phone.

“I’ve seen with my own eyes those restaurants that invest in front of house, making it look lavish, but it’s in the kitchen that the magic happens,” he says.

Miah’s overall philosophy is to not be afraid of making mistakes - he applies this to all aspects, from cooking, to

running the business to managing his suppliers. “If you do something that is not right, go back to the basics and start over. I make changes here and there, being able to successfully manage any business is about adapting and being able to take criticism on board,” he says.

An ability to adapt is key in the current trading conditions and while prices have increased at Nazmin’s, Miah is quick to add that changes in price have been marginal. He plans to continue investing in takeaways, potentially starting a dark kitchen in the borough to meet demand. Knowing Miah’s track record, it may not be too long before this is up and running while he focuses on the next big thing for his business. 

Nazmin’s, 398 Garratt Lane London SW18 4HP www.nazmins.com

Mayon Miah with Curry Life Award 2022

Destined for

Curry Life catches up with Kismet, one of the UK’s oldest Indian restaurants and explores its fascinating history

Kismet means ‘destiny’ or ‘fate’, something that one believes was meant to be. It’s an appropriate name for a restaurant that was opened by Ala Uddin Ahmed when he happened to be in the right place, at the right time. Established in 1962, Kismet is credited with being Staffordshire’s - and The Potteries first Indian restaurant, it was opened in a building made famous by Potteries’ novelist Arnold Bennett - (1/1A Queen Street, which was the Steam Printing Works in Bennett’s novel The Clayhanger) and it was known as an unofficial ‘training school’, with many of its previous members of staff having opened their own successful restaurants in the surrounding areas.

Ala Uddin Ahmed and his family came to the UK from Bangladesh in the late 1950s. Ahmed was working at the time in restaurants in Liverpool and Bolton and was visiting friends in Burslem in Stoke when the idea of opening Kismet came to him.

Kismet is now run by Kobir Uddin Ahmed and Salauddin Ahmed (centre)

“In those days the town was booming in terms of the Potteries industry and my father saw how busy it was but noticed that there were not many restaurants,” recalls Sala Ahmed, Ala Uddin’s son and current owner of Kismet, who now runs the restaurant with his cousin Kobir (Ala Uddin's nephew), and juggles this with his main job as a solicitor. “In 1962, he got together with a couple of friends to open a restaurant - Kismet. It wasn’t just the first Indian restaurant in Stoke but in the whole county of Staffordshire. If you wanted a curry, you needed to go to Birmingham at that time.”

Sadly, Ala Uddin passed away in November 2021. At the time of his death, reported in The Stoke Sentinel, he was referred to as ’the godfather of Stoke-on-Trent curry house’ and the man ‘who brought curry culture’ to the city as well as a ‘community champion’. Many customers and local business people paid tribute to him, including Mohammed Pervez, a former leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, who had known Mr Ahmed for 30 years and Burslem historian Fred Hughes.

Customer experience

When Ala Uddin opened Kismet, the menu featured a few simple curry dishes and also some English ones such as steak. Sala says these were actually more popular in Kismet’s early years, so much so that the menu was geared 60% towards English dishes and 40% curries. “It was attractive for bigger groups; if you had a party of four or six people

25th Anniversary celebration of Kismet Restaurant 12th October 1984

L.Mayor & L. Mayoress of S.O.T, Assist. High Commissioner- Bangladesh, John Walley (M.P), Mark Fisher (M.P), County Council & City Council Leaders & Staff Member

Alauddin Ahmed

and they didn't want a curry you had roast chicken, steaks, plaice and chips - there were a lot more English dishes in curry houses in those days.”

Kismet initially had an upstairs and downstairs - and in the 1970s, diners could enjoy a three-course lunch for just 50p. It expanded in 1998, taking over a former sandwich and coffee shop next door, creating a larger area downstairs seating 65-70, and an area for private dining upstairs for large groups of up to 35 people. Sala says his father continued to be very hands-on with the business, even as the years went by and the face of curry houses changed.

“Our popularity grew over time and even as the menus and customer profiles changed, one thing I always remember is my father being very firm in the way customers were looked after,” recalls Sala. “He would always give advice to the waiters and was very caring with regards to customers - he used to sit in the restaurant and keep an eye on proceedings, even when he was retired, intent on making sure the customers were looked after.”

Learn from experts

As well as being known for being one of the county’s very first Indian

restaurants, Kismet has also built a stellar reputation as an unofficial ‘training school’ for restaurateurs, with many former staff members going on to open their own restaurants in the vicinity.

In fact, says Sala, there were at one time three to four other Indian restaurants close by, with all the owners having at one time or another passed through the doors of Kismet, building their careers.

‘One of my friends told me a story about his father setting up a restaurant just down the road from us,” says Sala. “Kismet was well-established by this time and people queued all along the street for a table. My father used to send diners to these other restaurants to help boost their trade. He was generous and very community-spirited - he looked after everyone.”

One of the many community projects Ala Uddin Ahmed was involved in was improving race relations and promoting race equality, as well as raising awareness of natural disasters in Bangladesh, organising many charity events to raise funds.

Despite Sala having taken over the business some time ago, he says his father continued to be involved, even up to its 55th anniversary. While Sala has preserved the high standards his father was known for, he’s also put his own stamp on the business.

The restaurant’s hygience certificate from 1983

Kismet advertisement in newspaper in 1962

25th Anniversary celebration of Kismet Restaurant 12th October 1984

25th Anniversary celebration of Kismet

‘We try to change the menu every now and then, adding new dishes as customers’ tastes have changed - they like curries that are hotter and spicier than previously,” says Sala. “When we first started, all we offered were mild curries but we find that the majority of our customers are now ordering the more specialised, spicier dishes and

trying to be a bit more adventurous, although masala-type curries are still hugely popular.”

Sala says the main core of dishes that have always been on the menu remain, and as customers’ tastes have changed, so too has presentation. Just before the Covid pandemic, Kismet invested in new crockery and the interior has been

modernised too with the addition of a new bar but Sala adds they have been mindful about preserving a sense of nostalgia, as a large number of the restaurant’s regular customers enjoy eating in a familiar space.

There’s been an opportunity to be much more experimental with the second branch of Kismet, which opened in 2018 in nearby Hartshill, a restaurant which Sala describes as having more of a ‘fine dining’ feel, with a menu featuring more ‘showstopper dishes’.

“We want the dishes to have a wow factor, so that when customers see them, they really want to try them,” explains Sala. “We didn’t necessarily have a firm plan to open another restaurant but a friend was looking to sell an existing restaurant that we used to eat at regularly, so we knew it was a good opportunity and we opened Kismet Hartshill on the existing site.” Sala is more involved with the Hartshill branch, looking after this at the weekends, while his cousin manages the Burslem one.

Delivering on the future

During Covid and while the restaurants were closed, Sala and his team cooked for the NHS, donating and delivering a hundred food boxes to staff at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. These included fifty vegetarian meals and fifty non-vegetarian meals, with food including vegetable biryani, samosas and onion bhajis, while the meat option included chicken biryani with samosas.

Post-Covid, the increase in prices, gas and electricity which have plagued businesses for months are an ongoing concern for Salauddin but he believes being flexible is key in the face of challenges one has little control over. For example, the restaurant had only ever done takeaways for collection only, but over the pandemic, it started deliveries for the very first time, first for the NHS and now it is working with Just Eat and investing in marketing, developing the website, leaflets and further advertising.

Staffing is an ongoing issue but

Salauddin says they are probably more fortunate than other restaurants in this respect as their reputation and name attracts staff. “My dad’s legacy of always looking after the staff remains and it’s something I have taken on board too - if you look after your staff, they look after your business and you both have mutual respect for each other.”

Even with a full-time job in another sector, having grown up in the restaurant industry, Sala enjoys working in hospitality and is keen to look at different ways to grow and improve the business. While the restaurant has only recently introduced a delivery service, it’s now one of the main areas primed for potential growth.

“It’s difficult to manage deliveries when we use the same kitchen as that for diners - especially when you get a rush of orders,” explains Sala. “I’d like to open up a delivery service from a separate unit like a dark or ghost kitchen around Stoke or somewhere in the local area.”

He’s also keen to focus more on healthy Indian cuisine - before Covid, Sala was looking to design a separate menu for vegan customers. He says there is quite a demand for vegan cuisine and Kismet has several quorn-based dishes, including vegan quorn and chickpea balti and vegan quorn masala, alongside many vegetarian options.

At this year’s Curry Life Awards, held in October, Ala Uddin Ahmed received a Special Recognition Award for his contribution to the curry house industry, while Kismet Harsthill was also recognised with a Curry Life Best Restaurant Award. October also marked the 60th anniversary of Kismet Burslem and both restaurants hope to celebrate many more milestones in the years to come. 

Kismet

1A, Queen Street, Burslem Stoke-On-Trent ST6 3EL www.kismetstoke.com

Kismet's officials received Curry Life special Curry Legend Award 2022 from Rushanara Ali MP on the stage (from right to left) Adam Boulton, Curry Life Editor in chief Syed Nahas Pasha, Lord Karan Billimoria

Bringing Bangla to the table at Cardamom Cream

Cardamom Cream, a fine dining Indian restaurant in Ramsbottom, Bury, is at the heart of the local community, with the owner, Ataur Haris aiming to bring something a little different to the table.

Haris said he stumbled across the restaurant by accident, regularly passing through the town to visit family and friends. From there, he sought to establish a fine dining concept in what had previously been a fish and chip shop - not least because there were numerous other Indian restaurants in the local area.

Thus began a plan to create an immersive, five-star experience in everything - from the food down to the smallest details such as the ambience, staff, fine china, cutlery and glassware.

The restaurant regularly gets involved with community and charity events and initiatives, welcoming guests who take part

in the famous ‘World Black Pudding Throwing Championships’ which take place in the town. Haris also recently travelled to Bangladesh to organise charity projects for various communities, alleviating poverty and providing education through his charitable foundation, The Haris Foundation.

“What we’ve now done is establish a citycentre restaurant in a small community town. We’ve got 85 seats with a mezzanine private dining area and a bar area and over the last ten years since we began operations here, we’ve continued to invest, providing an unforgettable experience for our customers, including a £250,000 investment over lockdown alone,” said Haris.

The Bangla factor

Haris has been involved in the restaurant industry for a long time; as a thirdgeneration restaurateur, he has worked in various restaurants across the country since the 1990s and worked part-time whilst studying at university, where he first became aware of Bangla beer.

Bangla is a specially created beer, designed to complement Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine, available in both 660ml bottles and 50L draught with a long and rich history across many of the UK’s curry houses, Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants and Pan-Asian dining venues.

“Bangla was, and remains, a hugely

popular beer brand for restauranteurs,” says Haris. “It’s a brand that’s been recognisable to me as I’ve grown up in the restaurant trade and I’ve seen it everywhere from the North to the South of England.

It’s always been a great beer to have in stock due its versatility in pairing with numerous curry dishes. With many of the Indian restaurants in the UK being owned by people from Bangladesh, our restaurants carry a lot of Bengali heritage within our walls – and Bangla goes handin-hand with this very heritage. Not only that, but it’s also a premium brand that our customers love.”

With Haris counting himself among the pioneers of the trade, his loyalty with regards to stocking Bangla has never wavered, “I know the product, I know it’s a great product and I know my customers love it. Whilst other restaurants may stock other big-name brands, if I did the same, there’d be no differentiation across any of us. I pride myself on bringing something different to the table – and that something is Bangla.”

Bangla donates a portion of its sales of 50L kegs to charitable causes in Bangladesh.

Bangla is distributed by brands agency, Signature Brands, working with its largest distribution partner, LWC Drinks. 

For outlets interesting in stocking Bangla, please contact the Signature Brands team on info@signature-brands.co.uk or Faruque Golam on Faruque.golam@lwc-drinks.co.uk

Ataur Haris

Bringing to life

This dish of lamb and bitter shatkora fruit features rich and intense flavours

Curry Life Media’s recent British Curry Festival, which took place in October in Dhaka, Bangladesh, saw chefs from Britain and India preparing delicious dishes in Dhaka, using a range of authentic ingredients and cooking styles. One such dish is Shatkora Lamb, with the bitter flavour of the shatkora citrus fruit, originating from Sylhet, complementing tender lamb and helping to balance the rich sauce. It uses panch phoron (a blend of five spices - cumin, fenugreek, brown mustard seeds, fennel and nigella seeds), alongside a host of other spices.

SHATKORA LAMB

Ingredients (for 4 people)

of lamb, cut into pieces For the marinade

teaspoons of lemon juice

Salt (to taste)

tablespoons of ginger garlic paste For the gravy

100 ml of refined oil

tablespoon of panch phoron (whole spice blend)

green cardamom pod

black cardamom pod

cloves

cinnamon stick

bay leaf

tablespoon of chopped garlic

grams of chopped onion

tablespoon of ginger garlic paste

tablespoons of turmeric powder

tablespoons of chilli powder

tablespoon of coriander powder

tablespoon of cumin powder

– to taste

litre of lamb stock

a shatkora lime, sliced (lime originating from Sylhet)

tablespoon of garam masala powder

Method

Prepare the marinade for the lamb pieces, which includes plenty of garlic ginger paste and lemon, for a rich and zingy taste and coat the meat thoroughly. Put this aside for at least 30 minutes.

Take a heavy-bottomed pan and add the ingredients to make the gravy. Start with refined oil, add panch phoron, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, the cinnamon stick and the bay

leaf. When the mixture starts to crackle, add the chopped onion. Sauté all the ingredients in the pan until browned, then add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few minutes more. Then add the marinated lamb and bhuno (fry over a medium to high heat) the meat, coating it in the spice mix for around half an hour, making sure it doesn’t catch. Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and bhuno for another 10 minutes. Add sliced

shatkora lime and bhuno for another ten minutes. Finally add the lamb stock and cover the saucepan. Cook the lamb until it is soft and tender. Finish the gravy by adding the garam masala, then the Lamb Shatkora is ready to serve and enjoy,

The recipe has been provided by



chef Utpal Mondal, former executive chef at Radisson Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, who was part of this year’s Curry Life Festival team.

The tastes and trends for 2023

cumin and cardamom, and cinnamon is widely used too. Traditional dishes include spicy curries with rice, roti breads, hoppers and side chutney dishes.”

Other cuisines that will become more prominent in 2023 include pan-African cuisine, Cuban food and what Bidfood terms ‘unusual fusions’, all about having fun with your menu by taking the “no rules” approach.

Bidfood says: “With this trend, there are endless opportunities. Whether you mix up ingredients, flavours or even the formats of popular dishes, you can give your customers a unique experience they wouldn’t typically see in other places. The more novel and exciting their dish is, the more likely they are to think it’s worth going out, and parting with their cash for.”

Meat-free moments

Plant power’s influence will continue in 2023, with the survey saying that chefs are becoming more adventurous with vegetable-based dishes and recipes. “Instead of creating mock versions of meat and fish products, vegetables and plants are being celebrated for what they truly are, and taking a starring role on the plate,” says Bidfood’s report.

Sri Lankan cuisine will be making its mark in the next year, giving Indian cuisine a run for its money, with consumers keen to try alternative global dishes and flavours to make their meals more exciting and adventurous.

This is according to a report from food service provider Bidfood into 2023 food and drink trends, which includes

data from Mintel showing that one in three people now say that emerging world cuisines have replaced the most established ones such as Indian or Chinese.

Sri Lankan cuisine is well-known for its combination of herbs, spices, fish, vegetables, rice and fruits and is heavily influenced by South Indian and Indonesian cuisines, as well as Dutch. The report says: “The cuisine is characterised by spice blends, including

This trend isn’t just about the vegan plant-based market. According to the research, there are plenty of people who simply want to get more vegetables in their diet, and strive to eat wellbalanced food, with macro health trends continuing to grow post-pandemic. Interest in foraged food is likely to peak too, with foraged ingredients appealing as they contain more nutrients and are less exposed to harmful chemicals, and are often brighter in colour and earthier in flavour.

The report said: “Recent awareness of the impact mass production of food can have on the environment, as well

Sri Lankan flavours, plant-based dishes and foraged foods are set to take centre stage next year

as the impact of plastic packaging and chemical fertilisers, have all driven a rise in consumer interest in foraged ingredients.”

With consumers less likely to dine out owing to the cost of living crisis, many are also moderating their alcohol intake. This means that when consumers do have a drink out of home, they want something that is good quality that they can enjoy and savour. Similar to food trends, popular drinks in 2023 are likely to be less mainstream, with consumers demanding more unique cocktails.

A wealth of kelp

Whole Foods Market’s Trends Council, a collective of more than 50 Whole Foods Market team members, including local foragers, regional and global buyers, and culinary experts, has also unveiled its top 10 anticipated food trends for 2023. Making the list are dates - the dehydrated fruit often referred to as ‘nature’s candy’ is having a major renaissance as a sweetener—not only for at-home bakers, but also in the form

of pastes and syrups, and hidden in everything from ketchup to overnight oats.

Kelp, which was popular in 2022, remains in the list for next year. In its original form, it can absorb carbon in the atmosphere, making kelp farming more important than ever in the age of climate consciousness. Kelp grows quickly, doesn’t require freshwater or

added nutrients, and is nutritious and versatile in food products; Whole Foods says it is seeing it in noodles, chips, fish-free ‘fish’ sauce and beyond. As consumers seek out alternative ingredients and experiment with new flavours, kelp-inspired foods are gaining popularity.

Other Whole Foods trends include plant-based pasta alternatives with ingredients such as spaghetti squash, hearts of palm and even green bananas. “Whether you’re looking for a special diet substitute, a way to incorporate more produce into your diet, or simply want to try something new, these new plant-powered pasta alternatives offer something for everyone,” it says. 

Cinnamon Kitchen launches restaurant-style dishes to enjoy at home

Cinnamon Kitchen, the

restaurant set up in 2008 by chef Vivek Singh, and which has three branches in London, has launched its ‘Dine at Home’ range of ready meals.

The restaurant says the range ‘fuses the spices of the subcontinent with the finest ingredients and culinary

traditions to create modern dishes that remain classic and timeless, bringing Indian fine dining to the comfort of your own home’. The entire range has been created by Vivek Singh and includes sides to centre pieces for two, Tandoori to Saag Aloo and even Tiffin boxes for one.

Dishes on offer include cauliflower makhani, a rich medium-spiced tomato, cream, butter and honey curry with marinated spiced cauliflower and green beans, beef madras - a spicy onion, coconut and tomato beef curry, topped with desiccated coconut curls and coriander and king prawn moilee, a medium-spiced coconut, lime, fish and shellfish stock curry with king prawns and curry leaves, topped with spring onions. Chicken dishes include Singh’s signature chicken and chips, Hyderabadi Chicken Korma and Old Delhi Butter Chicken. The range is available at Tesco.

Vivek Singh

Legal Matters

The hospitality industry was severely affected by the double whammy of Brexit and the pandemic and it has been raising its concerns for some time with little success. The industry consists of a conglomerate of restaurants dotted all over Britain which have struggled to remain in business. Staff shortages is a common mantra and particularly acute in the suburbs. Many other countries such as Germany, Canada and Australia are facing challenges in hospitality and are reacting by putting in place significant policy changes.

By Maria Fernandes

Taking action on STAFF SHORTAGES

The way to address the acute shortage is to place the shortage positions on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). This then exempts the employer from meeting the skill level and reduces the annual salary threshold from £25,600 to £20,480.

To list or not to list

How is a job placed on the Shortage Occupation List? The principal body responsible for considering these issues

First Brexit, then the pandemic have caused an absolute crisis within the hospitality industry which traditionally has suffered staff shortages but at higher skill levels as EU workers filled the lower skill gaps. It is estimated that this industry alone lost nearly 200,000 workers who returned to their homes or went into other areas of work.

Whilst shortages of skilled chefs are finally being addressed by the relaxation of the regulations, the industry remains in turmoil with a significant shortage of entry level and front of house staff despite the increase in demand. So for example, line cooks, waiters, bar staff and hotel receptionists do not qualify for entry as skilled workers but yet are critical to the effective functioning of the business.

Supply and demand

Hotels are capping occupancy levels and restaurants and other businesses are limiting or reducing their opening hours because of these shortages. Most employers say that growth is impossible in these circumstances although there is demand.

With the Migration Advisory Committee currently carrying out a review, it’s time for the curry industry to have its say

is the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) which carries out reviews of shortage positions at the invitation of the Government. It acts on evidence and data to decide whether to recommend placing positions on the shortage list. In the past some of their recommendations have been accepted. As an example, positions in the care home sector such as care workers (who are classified as lower skilled) were placed on the Shortage Occupation List because of the shortage and demand.

The Government has now written to MAC to invite them to carry out a review of the Shortage Occupation List and report back to the Government with its recommendations by March 2023. The letter to MAC makes the point that it is not prepared to review the skill level currently in place or allow positions that effectively undermine the SOL unless there are “exceptional circumstances”.

It also notes that the Prime Minister has appointed Sector Delivery Leads in Government departments who work

closely with critical sectors experiencing labour shortages: construction, manufacturing, digital & tech, haulage & logistics, and health & social care.

Hospitality is not on this list of sectors and given the crisis surely it should be.

These are the specific questions that MAC has to report back on.

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1. Should the salary requirement for jobs on the SOL, in future, be whichever is the higher of the going rate (rather than 20% less than the going rate) or £20,480, subject to an absolute minimum of £10.10 per hour? This is an important question. At present the salary rates’ applicable rate must meet three criteria: £20,480, or 80% of the going rate and £10.10 per hour. The question invites MAC to consider whether the discount of 80% should be discontinued. This will have the impact of raising the annual salary threshold.

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which jobs on the current SOL should continue to be included, and which should be removed?

3. Which jobs, if any, based on evidence provided by stakeholders, should be added to the SOL, at:

 a. RQF 6 or above?

 b. RQF 3-5?

This an opportunity for the curry industry to gather together and provide evidence to MAC of shortages that merit inclusion on the list. MAC will shortly call for evidence. In its early days MAC undertook visits to restaurants to observe for themselves the operation of these businesses to understand its concerns.

The change in Government could be an opportunity for a fresh and more common sense view of the needs of each industry. The first step for the industry is to engage with MAC.

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2. For those on the SOL already

Curry Life is committed to working with you to make representations regarding this issue. Watch this space. 