National Curry Week for foodies in the UK
National Curry Week, 22-28 October, was founded in 1998 by British food writer and historian the late Peter Grove, now in its twentieth year it is an anticipated event in culinary and social calendars. Britain has gone bananas about curry, there were no less than eleven banana curries mentioned; curries mostly from India but recipes from Sri Lanka, Thailand to China are included and well-known Indian and British chefs all had their say in restaurants and pubs all over UK. Jamie Oliver went for a gluten free spiced mushroom curry, while Gordon Ramsay promoted his butter chicken curry. Spice and rice brands have been posting recipes/advertisements on social media, vegetarian and vegan adherents have been extolling the health benefits of curry powder ingredients, national and regional newspapers have been listing their top ten favourite Indian restaurants.
The first Indian restaurant, The Hindoostanee Coffee House, was opened in London in 1810 by Bengali Mr Saik Deen Mahomad but apparently he filed for bankruptcy three years later; ex-pats returning from India attempted biryanis and curries introducing all sorts of variations into the British menu,today Veeraswamy in Regent Street has been going since 1926 and is London’s longest serving Indian restaurant. But it seems not all the variations are authentic, curry and chips is still a popular dish in takeaways and Asda, a national supermarket, introduced a Vindaloo chicken pizza topped with crispy poppadums to celebrate National Curry Week.
Kingfisher Beer has been the headline sponsor of National Curry week since inception, Kingfisher say this week is a celebration of all curry occasions, from cooking at home, to the traditional curry house, street food, and the new wave premium Asian restaurants who are making noise in the industry. Kingfisher have combined with 50 of UK’s top Indian restaurants to launch a recipe book From Bombay to Britain. Samantha Catford, Kingfisher Brand Manager said, “recognising the trend for home cooking, we wanted to create a recipe book that encourages people to get adventurous in the kitchen by introducing Indian restaurant culture in to everyone’s homes.” Additionally, Kingfisher have formed a partnership with the UK’s number one card game, Top Trumps, to showcase the nation’s most loved curries. The pack contains 30 cards of curry favourites, from Chicken Korma to Lamb Balti and Chicken Phal to Pork Vindaloo, as well as curry house essentials such Naan bread and Pilau Rice. The stat categories include: “calories per serving” (as Brits become more conscious about takeaways and their waistline), “popularity” (out of 10), “spice factor” and “Top Trumps Rating”. A Kingfisher beer spokesperson said, “Last year Kingfisher saw a +60% increase in volume sales during the month of October and we expect a similar level this year.”
As well as rejoicing in all things curried, National Curry Week is a charitable fundraiser for Curry for Change, who support essential work across Africa and Asia to help vulnerable rural families out of malnourishment and poverty. All proceeds from Bombay to Britain book sales will be donated to Curry for Change.