10 Northamptonshire Cooks Aiming To Be Curry King   A tense cook-off has seen the cream of Northamptonshire's culinary talent go head-to-head to find the regional king of curry. Ten of the best curry chefs in the county gathered at Northampton College for the finals of the inaugural Northamptonshire Curry Chef of the Year competition, helping to raise £5,000 for the Paddington and Disney wards at Northampton General Hospital. A panel of four judges were handed the task of finding an eventual winner, but the victorious chef will not be announced until a presentation night next month. Lead judge Richard Curtis, of the college's catering and corporate hospitality course, said: "The standard was very high and there were clearly some excellent chefs on show. Northamptonshire is very lucky to have chefs of this calibre working in the county. "It's unusual to be able to get this close to Indian cookery and I think we all learnt something from the day. It was very difficult to pick a winner." An initial 45 entrants were whittled down to 10 and the finalists were given two hours to cook a two-course meal of their choice. Several of the entrants used fish for a starter, with dishes including garlic king prawns, mussels, trout and speciality fish shipped in from Bangladesh. Among the main courses were mango chicken, lamb chops and tandoori chicken. Chefs were judged by an independent panel on hygiene, healthy eating, practical skills and presentation. Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Lee Mason, said: "There were some wonderful dishes prepared for us. I don't think I'll need to eat for at least another day. Some of the flavours were beautiful." It is hoped the competition will launch in other areas across the region next year, with chefs across the Midlands taking part. The competition is helping to raise funds for the children's wards at Northampton General Hospital.