Chef Abdul Husen, from the Cafe Saffron, Shrewsbury, went to Central London to receive the prize. The winners of the Curry Life Magazine’s best Curry Chef Awards were announced on the evening of the 9th of October 2011 at a glittering ceremony at The Cumberland Hotel, Marble Arch, London.

Chef Abdul is no stranger to awards having previously won Shropshire Curry Chef of the Year Award and Curry Life Chef Award in the past. He has been creating his particular brand of magic and authentic Bangladeshi cuisine at the popular venue in Hill’s Lane, Shrewsbury for many years.

The Curry Life Magazine, which is widely regarded as the authoritative voice for thousands of Indian Restaurants in the UK, has been recognising excellence in the industry since 2009. The magazine also earned its fame by organising British Curry Festival in different countries. Over the last ten years, the Taste Britain Curry Festival has helped to raise the profile for Curry Chefs and the British Curry Houses globally.

The main purpose of the Curry Life Chef Awards was to showcase and pay tribute to the country’s leading curry restaurants.

Winning Curry Chef Abdul said: “I am absolutely delighted. We’ve always been very proud of our food here at Cafe Saffron and it’s a great honour to be named the best Curry Chef in my area.

Over 300 guests attended the prestigious awards ceremony. Syed Ahmed, who is known for his appearance in the BBC reality show The Apprentice, presented the awards.

As many as 20 Curry Chefs from across the country has been Crowned with the best Curry Chefs title. The Special Recognition Awards were also given to an International Curry Chef Utpal Mondal from India, Restaurateur Late Nazir Ud Din Ahmed, who opened Manchester’s first Curry House in 1938 and Bangladesh born, Mime Artist who worked with Marcel Marceau and recently achieved highest cultural honour from France for his achievement, Partha Majumder.

The Chief Guest at the glittering night, Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government spoke about the importance of curry in British life: “Curry may not have been born in Britain, but it has found a welcome home here. With over 12,000 establishments turning over £4.3 billion each year it’s not difficult to see that British curry is a great success story. This Government wants to support the industry’s growth and development.

“The Curry Life Awards are a chance to recognise not only the talent, creativity and hard work of the nation’s curry chefs but also their huge economic contribution to British life. I congratulate all the winners and look forward to the British curry industry going from strength to strength.”

Syed Belal Ahmed, Editor of Curry Life Magazine and founder of Taste of Britain Curry Festival, said: “The awards were a runaway success. These awards highlight the special achievement of a select band of chefs who have made their culinary mark on the Indian restaurant scene in the UK.

“The British Curry has its own identity and we are now influencing Curry Restaurants globally including India, where Curry originate from,” he added.