National Curry Week 2018 - What's the UK's best Indian restaurant, most popular curry and hottest di

Publish date: 2024-05-20

THIS week marks the 20th National Curry week in the UK and to celebrate we have put together some key facts about the beloved takeaway.

The week, which runs from October 22 until October 26, celebrates more than 200 years of Indian restaurants in the UK.

What's the UK's best Indian restaurant?

Every year the British Curry Awards crowns the best curry houses from across the UK.

They select regional winners, as well as best takeaway, newcomer and casual dining.

Among them is the well-known chain Dishoom, which has seven locations across London, and is famed for its black daal.

The restaurant also serves breakfast, Indian style, and has a vegan and dairy-free menu as well.

Another restaurant which clinched a win is the Cinnamon Club,

The diner is housed inside the Grade II listed Westminster Library, and has a tasting menu for £90 per person, or £40 for the vegan option.

This year’s British Curry Awards will be held on November 26, 2018.

British Curry Award winners 2017

Best Restaurant in Scotland: Sanam Tandoori, Falkirk
Best Restaurant in North West: Viceroy, Carlisle
Best Restaurant in North East: Mumbai Lounge, York
Best Restaurant in Wales: Rasoi Indian Kitchen, Swansea
Best Restaurant in Midlands: Asha’s Indian Bar & Kitchen, Birmingham
Best Restaurant in South West: Koloshi, Cheltenham
Best Restaurant in South East: Maliks Tandoori Restaurant, Cookham (Berks)
Best Restaurant in London Outer & Suburbs: Shampan, Bromley
Best Restaurant in Central London & City: Cinnamon Club, Westminster
Best Casual Dining: Dabbawal Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Best Newcomer: Dishoom, Kings Cross, London
Best Takeaway: Chilli Pickle, Brighton

What's the most popular curry?

According to data from takeaway app Just Eat, it turns out the UK’s favourite curry is lacking some bite.

Just Eat polled 2,000 adults last year, and in first place was the mild Korma, with 29 per cent of the vote.

In second place was something a bit more fiery, a Tikka Masala with 22 per cent of the vote, and in third place was a Rogan Josh with 19 per cent of the vote.

What's the hottest dish?

Earlier this year supermarket Morrisons launched what it claimed to be its hottest ever curry.

The Faming Fiery Phall has a whopping eight chilli rating, two more than its next highest curry, the Volcanic Vindaloo.

The scorching curry is made with two of the world’s hottest chillies, the Naga and the Scorpion.

The packing warns the curry is “exceptionally red hot”.

The curry, which will only be sold to over-16s who may be asked for ID, has a 1.5million ranking on the Scoville Heat Unit, which measures chillies.

The Phaal is generally taken to be the hottest curry available commercially in the UK, with a number of takeaways selling it.

It has outstripped the Vindaloo, which was previously taken to be the hottest curry.

Here are some curry facts you may not know:

Data shows that one in seven curries sold in the UK is a chicken tikka masala - making it the UK's most popular Indian dish.
The world's hottest curry is believed to be the widower curry which is made with 20 infinity chillies which are exceptionally hot.
But according to a poll carried out by BBC Radio 2, the Nation’s Favourite British Indian curry was the jalfrezi.
At last year's British Curry Awards, The Chilli Pickle in Brighton won the Best Takeaway award.

In the UK, we spend over £250 million a year on Indian food and is home to around 9,000 curry houses and restaurants.
London contains more Indian restaurants than Mumbai and Delhi combined.
There are two Indian restaurants to every Chinese restaurant
We crave a curry mainly due to the fact that the spices arouse and stimulate the taste buds.