And the British ‘Halal’ Curry Awards 2017 winners are…?

British curry was celebrated with all the pomp and glamour of an academy awards ceremony last night despite the industry still facing a huge staffing crisis.

Referred to as the curry industry’s ‘Oscars’, the 13th British Curry Awards (BCA) took the opportunity not just to reward and acknowledge success, but to provide a platform for lobbying the Government.

The founder of BCA, Enam Ali, described this particular year’s event as “crucial” with a “new government being formed in uncertain political times and Brexit negotiations getting underway”.

He also added that three curry restaurants were shutting down each week because of restrictive policies pursued by Theresa May.

Amidst the rewards and celebrations at The Battersea Evolution, a number of Halal and Halal-friendly restaurants and businesses were also acknowledged for their hard work and contribution.

Shampan’s Bromley branch, which offers a fully Halal menu (excluding duck), won the Best London Suburbs award a year after its Welling branch won the same.

The success follows similar accolades picked up at the British Curry Awards in 2012 and 2013 for Best Newcomer and later in 2015 for Best in South East.

Asha’s followed up their success at the English Curry Awards earlier this year in August as Manchester’s best restaurant by scooping the Best in Midlands award for a second year in succession.

One of Carlisle’s longest running Bangladeshi restaurants, The Viceroy, which serves Halal chicken, regained its award as the Best in North West having not had the opportunity of defending the same title it won in 2015 when the restaurant suffered severe damage from extensive floording only 5-days later.

The Best Casual Dining award was gained by Newcastle’s Dhabbawal – an eatery that has also been shortlisted for the North East’s Halal Restaurant of the Year award at the forthcoming inaugural Halal Awards in January 2018.

For a full list of the winners, visit the British Curry Awards.