Bradford has clinched the Curry Capital of Britain 2011 after beating off its close rival Glasgow.

In a real coup for the city the Bradford bid saw off other strong contenders such as Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester and ultimately beat last year’s winner Glasgow in a closely fought battle.

The process involved public voting to decide on four restaurants to represent the respective cities – in Bradford’s case Prashad, Aagrah (Shipley), Kipling’s (Bradford) and Shimla Spice (Keighley) – a national vote for each of the cities, a bid document from each of the local authorities outlining why their city should win the title and an all-important judging period by an independent panel.

Bradford scored highly not just for the quality of food and service offered by each of the restaurants, but also for food hygiene, a deep understanding of the curry restaurant sector and its success in collectively raising funds for food charity The Curry Tree, which seeks to alleviate the plight of the poor in South East Asia.

The judges were also particularly impressed by Bradford’s International Food Academy and the Food Ministry, which teaches the city region’s residents how to cook quick, simple, healthy and cost-effective meals.

Coun David Green, Executive Member for Regeneration and the Economy, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Bradford has this year clinched the title Curry Capital of Britain for 2011.

“The bid was praised for having a particularly strong restaurant team and we know they really went the extra mile to achieve this prestigious title.

“We in Bradford know we have the best curry restaurants in the country – we just have to prove it, and this year we did!

“Alongside the restaurants, the Council’s tourism team, who led the bid and were supported by the Bradford College Food Academy, were praised.

“We hope plenty of visitors will come and try out these restaurants for themselves and see what other great attractions this district has to offer including the Saltaire World Heritage Site and our glorious Bronte countryside.”

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