Welsh Curry House of the Year 2012
Welsh Lamb takes centre stage during the largest Curry Festival in Wales as part of the Welsh Curry House of the Year competition 2012.
Chefs across Wales are preparing to tantalise your taste buds, seduce your senses and pamper your palate as they compete to become Welsh Curry House of the Year 2012.
The search is now on to see who will win the coveted award, now in its sixth year, with more than 280 Indian restaurants in Wales eligible to compete.
“It feels like only yesterday that we started on our journey of discovery to find the best curry houses of Wales - but this is our sixth year! I always get excited when we launch the competition but this year it’s even more exciting as we confirm details for Wales’ largest curry festival,” said Berwyn Rowlands from The Festivals Company, the founders of the competition.
The 2012 competition will also incorporate Wales’ Largest Curry Festival with all 30 short-listed restaurants taking part. The festival which runs for 5 weeks starting on 20 February will combine the nation’s love of curry with locally sourced Welsh produce. Welsh Lamb will be a key ingredient during the festival as each restaurant will offer their take on a delicious new curry.
“This is a great way for the public - we received over 11,000 votes last year - to get more involved with the competition by tasting some great food – a fusion of Indian cooking and Welsh ingredients. It is also a fantastic opportunity for the very best chefs to demonstrate how they can take the best we have in Wales and combine them with the best in Indian cuisine,” added Berwyn Rowlands.
Speaking before the competition launch from the Sheesh Mahal in Llanelli – last year’s winner of the competition, the owner Shuel Mahal said, “Winning the title for the second time last year was amazing, I was over the moon. This year I’m looking forward to joining the national judges and experience the competition form the other side. Visiting the top 3 restaurants is a privilege as you can learn such a lot from your fellow restaurant owners. Wales has some excellent Indian restaurants.”
Between now and 31 January 2012 diners will be able to cast their votes to decide the top restaurants from each of the three regions by visiting www.welshcurryhouse.co.uk The 30 short-listed restaurants will be announced on Thursday 16 February 2012.
Over the following five weeks the independent regional judges will visit each of the 30 short-listed restaurants. The top three restaurants in Wales, one from each region, will be announced on Monday 26 March 2012.
The national judges will spend a full day visiting all three restaurants competing in the final. During the visit each restaurant will be invited to impress the judges with one of their signature dishes, available from the public menu.
The national winner will be announced during a Gala Dinner at the Red Dragon Centre in Cardiff Bay on Monday 23 April 2012.
The competition is sponsored by the Welsh Government, True Taste,
Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales, Webjects, Red Dragon Centre,
Spice Route and The Festivals Company
For more information, interviews and photography contact:
Berwyn Rowlands, Web: The Festivals Company
Email: Berwyn@thefestivalscompany.co.uk
Mobile: 07860 818294 or 029 20232744
