A Glasgow restaurant has just been crowned the 'Best in Scotland' at a glittering ceremony in London often referred to as the ‘Curry Oscars’.
Swadish on Ingram Street in the Merchant City has capped off a hugely successful year by taking home the award at the prestigious British Curry Awards, which took place on November 28.
The popular Indian restaurant beat out the likes of fellow successful Glasgow restaurants Mowgli Street Food Glasgow and Charcoals Indian Restaurant, as well as others from around the country, in the final to win the overall award.
Taking to social media, a delighted head chef and owner Ajay Kumar posted: "It's an honour to bring the Curry Oscar to Glasgow. We are extremely excited and proud to have represented Scotland’s Curry Industry at the prestigious British Curry Awards in London last night.
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"We feel privileged, and we cannot express how grateful we are for your Love and support. This win is dedicated to all of our wonderful customers and supporters who helped make this possible. People really DO make Glasgow. Love you all."
Earlier this year, Ajay was crowned 'Scottish Spice Curry Championships Chef of the Year' - an award he also won in 2021 – and Swadish also took home the title of ' Best Indian Restaurant in Scotland ' as part of the Food Awards Scotland 2022.
The 18th annual year of the awards, saw a top lineup of celebrities in attendance, including Scots actor James Cosmo, as well as the cream of the crop of the UK's top restaurateurs, chefs and entrepreneurs.
Speaking in a video message, 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.”
The awards also raised awareness for the challenges the industry is facing, due to the energy and cost of living crises and amid rising inflation.
They pointed out curry restaurateurs have seen their shopping bills increase by an average of 40 per cent. The situation is unsustainable for the industry as curry houses are desperately trying to minimise off-setting these costs against menu pricing, as households are facing tightened budgets themselves.
The Spice Business ‘Onion Bhaji Index’ indicates the average cost of an onion bhaji in the UK will jump from £4 to £12 per portion, while rising inflation means the average price of curry house favourite, the chicken tikka masala, would rise from an average menu price of £7 to £17, which diners are simply unable to afford.
Add to that soaring energy bills, it is estimated that around seven in 10 restaurants could be forced to shut their doors for good without government intervention.
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