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Ainsley Harriott judges Festival of curry at House of Commons -
Competition
was tough and temperatures ran high at the House of Commons on July
9th as 10 finalists battled it out for the title of Tilda Tiffin
South Asian Restaurant of the Year. Mint and Mustard in Cardiff
managed to curry favour with the panel of judges, including Ainsley
Harriott, and beat 54 nominees to win at the final 'cook-off'.
The 10
finalists were nominated by their local MPs to represent their
constituency to battle it out for the trophy, sponsored by Tilda, the
UK's number one Basmati brand by volume and value. The two runner-up
prizes were awarded to the Chilli Raj in St Albans, Hertfordshire and
Panahar in Blyth Valley, Northumberland.
Anand George,
Head Chef at Mint and Mustard, said: "I'm very pleased to be
the winner of the Tilda Tiffin Restaurant competition and it was
great that people got to taste my winning sea bass dish- it's been an
amazing experience and a great exercise working alongside so many
fantastic chefs."
Keith Vaz MP,
who set up the competition three years ago, says: "We have
been fortunate enough to sample some of the best offerings of Indian
food in Britain and I am delighted that so many MP's took the time to
nominate their favourite Indian restaurants. The Tilda Tiffin event
was a great success, showcasing the best in Indian cuisine whilst
raising funds for two very worthwhile charities."
The
competition was judged by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott, Editor of
Tandoori Magazine, Mr Humayun Hussain, Head Chef at Washington
Mayfair Hotel in London, Mr Rajesh Rao, and owner of Madhu's in
Southall, Mr Sanjay Anand.
Dilip
Srinivasan from Tilda, which sponsored the event, said: "The
restaurants chosen to take part in this year's final were of an
extremely high calibre and it was great to see such quality South
Asian food being prepared. As champions of Basmati, we are delighted
to be able to support chefs which share our passion for producing the
very best Indian food. It is also a wonderful opportunity to raise
money for such deserving charities."
This year,
the event raised £1,500 for Friends in Village Development
Bangladesh, whose aim it is to contribute towards educational and
socio-economic empowerment of disadvantaged people in rural
Bangladesh, and also the breast cancer charity ROKO Cancer.
The
competition was established in 2006 by MPs Michael Fabricant, John
Barrett and Keith Vaz and is now in its third year. The Tilda Tiffin
encourages the participation of as many constituencies as possible to
celebrate the diversity of British culture and food.
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