After clinching their first Curry Capital title in 2011, Bradford has more than excelled in living up to its title. So much so, that the city has just retained its crown for the fifth year in a row.
In previous years, the city’s bid has been praised for its individuality and commitment to promoting inclusivity, something the 2015 team have once again emulated.
This year saw Visit Bradford and the team of four chosen restaurants work alongside Bradford’s Probation Office and the Fresh Start 4U project to produce a Curry Capital Garden.
There was also a fun social media campaign where ‘Peshwari Paws’ – the Curry Capital mascot, had fun around the district, taking photos at various venues and logging his adventure on Twitter.
The bid was eventually handed over last month at the Peshwari Paws Teddy Bear’s Picnic where probation service users helped chefs from the selected restaurants prepare a variety of picnic dishes, served up to the Deputy Lord Mayor and guests.
On Tuesday 20th October, Bradford was officially named the Curry Capital of Britain once again, as the city celebrated an unprecedented fifth crown.
Bradford Council tourism manager, Patricia Tillotson, said the award came as a surprise to the team, but they were thrilled to hear the news.
“It’s absolutely amazing to win it five times, it would be for any city,” she said. “The team have really worked hard on the bids over the last five years and this year we have gone that little bit further.
“The other teams had a blue print this year of what we used in the past and therefore we thought it would be good to really push the boundaries once again. Instead of just doing things at a local level through cohesion, we did it at regional and national levels as well.
“I couldn’t believe it when we won it three times in a row and then it was a real shock to get it the fourth year.
“Even though we knew we had worked really hard on the bid this year, you cannot expect to just win it for a fifth time. We knew all the other cities had put in good bids as well so it was a fantastic surprise to receive the phone call saying we had won.”
This year’s team of restaurants included: Akbars, Aakash, Kiplings and Shimla Spice, who worked alongside Bradford Council throughout the bid.
Speaking on behalf of the businesses, Mohammed Rafiq, of Kiplings, said the fifth title was even more special than previous years.
“This is a momentous occasion really because it is unheard of,” he said. “No other city in the UK can claim a national title like this in the country’s biggest food industry.
“You’ve got London, Birmingham and Manchester – the biggest cities, and then you have Bradford here and size wise we are no match to them.
“However, this award just goes to show that the quality of food we provide here far excels all others.
“I’m a firm believer that we set the standard for the rest of the country when it comes to curry and that is shown by us winning this title for five years running.”
This year’s Curry Capital top five cities:
- Bradford
- Glasgow
- Brighton
- Leicester
- Birmingham
