Northumberland takeaway named best in the UK at English Curry Awards

Raju Ahmed and Kamal Uddin Bari celebrate Dilshad Tandoori Indian Takeaway being named takeaway of the year at the English Curry Awards.

A family-run restaurant is celebrating after being named the best in the country.

Dilshad Tandoori Indian Takeaway, in Ashington Drive, Stakeford, was named winner of the ‘Takeaway of the Year’ in the North East Category of the tenth annual English Curry Awards.

And following a difficult year for all hospitality businesses, there was double celebration as it was also named ‘Takeaway of the Year in the UK’ during the awards held at the Holiday Inn, in Birmingham.

The award-winning takeaway is run by brothers-in-law Raju Ahmed and Kamal Uddin Bari, who expanded their family ties to a business partnership.

Celebrations for Dilshad Tandoori Indian Takeaway at the English Curry Awards.

In 2019, the takeaway was named the North East winner of the ‘Takeaway of the Year’ category at the English Curry Awards, and Raju said they were delighted to have gone one step further this year.

Raju said: “What can we say, we've not only done it again but we’ve done it with a big bang.

"The awards celebrated the hard work and dedication by those within the curry industry.

"We came up against some of the best takeaways in our region as well as the UK and are delighted that we managed to win these amazing awards.”

Dilshad managed to stay open throughout the pandemic and Raju was keen to thank all their customers who had supported them.

He said: "This could not have been done without our loyal customers who have been supporting us during this pandemic.

“Not to mention the staff at Dilshad who have been absolutely tremendous with the art of cooking and serving our customers.

“Last but not least the Dilshad families who have been the foundation of Dilshad’s success, working behind the scenes relentlessly. We couldn't have done it without them.

“So thank you to everyone who has been a part of the journey of Dilshad’s success.

“We hope you will all continue to support us on this road to victory!

"Dilshad specialises in providing the finest Indian cuisine to takeaway and is not only known for its exceptional food but its high standards of customer service.”

Last year, Dilshad was recommended as one of the best places to go in Northumberland by our sister paper, the Northumberland Gazette, as part of National Curry Week.