Birmingham’s acclaimed Indian restaurant Lasan has won the British Curry Awards for a record sixth time.
The UK’s top curry restaurants, as voted for by the British public, were announced at The British Curry Awards at Evolution London, Battersea Park.
The event, hosted by comedian Hugh Dennis, and is informally known as the UK’s Curry Oscars.
Jabbar Khan, founder of Lasan, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have won this magnificent award. It’s our sixth win and achieving this on our 20th anniversary really is the cherry on the icing of the cake for our team.”
Lasan has always been a trailblazer for Indian restaurants in Birmingham and has elevated the industry to greater heights ever since winning Gordon Ramsay’s Best Local Restaurant in the UK Award on Channel 4’s The F Word in 2010.
Mr Khan added: “Since 2002, Lasan has been captivating the hearts of discerning foodies and celebrities alike, with its exquisite Indian cuisine scooping over 20 prestigious awards and accolades throughout this magical journey. More importantly we’ve had the privilege of being part of so many heart-warming milestone celebrations, and we’ve witnessed some truly beautiful love stories from our home in the Jewellery Quarter.
“All this has been made possible by our talented, passionate chefs and loyal members of staff. On behalf of the Lasan family, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all our guests, who have kept us true to our vision and true to India.”
The evening also paid tribute to the late Enam Ali, the event’s founder and the UK’s leading spokesman for the curry industry, who worked tirelessly to promote the curry industry globally for more than 45 years.
The British Curry Awards welcomed personalities from the worlds of politics, sport, showbiz and entertainment alongside celebrity chefs and curry restaurant owners and their staff from across the country.
In attendance were TV personalities Chris Tarrant, Dr Ranj Singh and Saira Khan, actor Nina Wadia, former England footballer David Seaman and cricketer Phil Tufnell.
In a video message of support, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The thing I’ve learnt about being Prime Minister is that the best training I ever had was working in a curry house. I know how hard every one of you works from the chefs to the waiters to the restaurant managers and the delivery drivers.
“And that experience gave me a huge appreciation of business, of the importance of treating people fairly and the value of this most iconic of British Asian industries. So I’m delighted to be supporting Britain’s Curry Oscars. I want to thank all of you for everything you do to fill our high streets and our homes with some of the best curry in the world.”
A nationwide nominations process is led by the local patrons of curry houses on the streets of Britain, annually invited to nominate their favourite curry restaurants and takeaways. The process of public nominations creates an authentic list of the nation’s favourite Asian eateries, based on the opinions of residents, leading to a rigorous vetting process by an independent panel of judges.
