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The Bangladeshi catering Association have recently said that their sixth annual awards will be taking place on 4 December, which is a Sunday. The awards are an opportunity for entrepreneurial spirit of theUKto be celebrated as curry houses compete for the award.

Curry is one of the most popular dishes in theUKand 12 awards will be given to chefs at the event. The main prize is the Caterer of the Year Award which is coveted by all curry houses in theUK. The awards cover nine regions in the country and there are also awards given for achievements for Civic Society.

The Bangladesh Caterers Association in their 51st year, are UK’s oldest, largest and strongest pressure group, which represent over 12,000 British Bangladeshi Restaurants and Takeaways. This unique industry grew from the heart of the Bangladesh migrants who first entered the UK in the 1950’s and has blossomed into an industry that employs in excess of 150,000 people and had a turn over estimated at £4.1billion in 2010.

The awards will be hosted by Tasmin Lucia Khan, of ITV’s Daybreak, in front of an audience of 1000 guests, which includes a host of Dignitaries, Celebrities, Parliamentarians and the Crème de la Crème of the Curry Elite. The ceremony will take place in the opulent and glamorous setting of the Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster Bridge, in Central London on 4th December 2011
The spice of the night should warm up this winters evening as great food will be served along with a fusion of traditional and contemporary entertainment. This is a real celebration of the UK’s Curry Industries entrepreneurs, one of UK’s most successful immigration stories, which forms the fabric of today’s multi-cultural society.

Attending the event will be the Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, and the recipients of last year’s BCA Golden Jubilee Honour Awards Anne Main MP and Rushanara Ali MP.

On receiving her award last year Rushanara Ali, the first British Bangladeshi MP said, “The British Bangladeshi catering industry is the backbone of our community and the springboard of success for future generations.”

As well as promoting the successes of the Curry Industry the BCA have united with Peoples 1st to address the existing chef crisis and support the training and apprenticeships of Asian and Oriental chefs soon to be rolled out across five new Hospitality Guild Centre’s around the UK.

BCA President Mr Bajloor Rashid said, “BCA are looking forward to celebrating the success of many of theUK’s greatest Curry House entrepreneurs. They have had to face many trials and tribulations however they continue to strive to ensure the authentic taste of curry is delivered toUK’s curry connoisseurs ”.

In an East Yorkshire village lies a 17th-century inn which has just been voted as the best pub of the year by the Michelin guide to pubs 2012. The pub is called The Pipe and Glass and is near Beverley. The pub already boasts one Michelin star.

Rebecca Byrne is the editor of the guide and she has commented that, “The friendliness of the staff is exceptional and they always make you feel welcome and warm. The food is the highlight of the evening but the character of the place makes everything just perfect.”

Over 500 pubs appear in the guide and over 80 of them are new entries this year. Burke continued, “The pubs selected are making incredible use of local produce and are often working with the regional speciality. Several of these pubs even keep their own animals.”

The Pipe and Glass was taken over by Kate and James McKenzie over five years ago and they have commented, “We are very pleased to see all the effort we’ve put in paying off. When we bought the pub we only had a couple of people cooking  who didn’t really know what they were doing. Now we employ 12 chefs and 40 other members of staff and we serve around 1000 people every week.”

The Mackenzies have said that the key to their success is using a variety of food and serving up a good selection of beers from the local area and beyond. “We don’t forget that we started off as a pub, we maintain a proper bar and have a restaurant as well.” Last month the Hand in Flowers was the first pub in the UK to receive a second Michelin star.

Great Britain & Ireland 2012

The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2012 is available in today bookshops, priced at £14.99 (€17.99 in Ireland).

This is the first year that the Michelin guide has awarded a British pub two Michelin stars. This pub is located in Buckinghamshire and is called The Hand and Flowers. The pub was opened by husband and wife Beth and Tom Kerridge in 2005. It was awarded its first Michelin star in 2006.

Rebecca Burr is the editor of the guide and she has commented, “for the pub industry in Britain this is great news, it shows that the pubs in the country are continuing to serve up excellent food. The guide this year sees an amazing 13 pubs being awarded, or maintaining, their Michelin stars.”

Tom Kerridge’s cooking is a large reason the pub is so successful, his dishes are familiar and very sophisticated. When enjoyed in the surroundings of the very relaxed pub the meal is immensely enjoyable.

The pub is only one of two restaurants to get the second star for the 2012 copy of the guide. Sat Bains is a restaurant in Nottingham that has also just achieved the honour. The cooking here has always been creative and recently they have focused on adding a little something extra to their foods. Sat Bains got their first Michelin star back in 2003.

Normally the guide is published after Christmas but this year it has been published early. Many restaurants and pubs nationwide have been awarded stars. Three restaurants have achieved stars in Scotland, four in London, and one in Wales. Heston Blumenthal’s new restaurant was also awarded a star.

The guide also highlights those restaurants that represent value for money. We are therefore delighted that this year a further 28 restaurants have been awarded a Bib Gourmand, the award given to those establishments offering good cooking but at moderate prices.

Rebecca Burr said “Our readers have told us how much they enjoy these places so we are very pleased that our inspectors have found so many new ones, particularly in London”.

Also launched today is the Michelin Guide London 2012, priced at £10.99(€12.99 in Ireland). This guide provides extended text on London’s restaurants, with additional photographs and information on all starred establishments. It also includes a selection of London’s best hotels, across all categories.

Time Out has published the results of its 2011 Eating and Drinking Awards, detailing the best places to eat and drink in London.  The winners and nominess are as follows.

Best New Bar

Winner: Worship Street Whistling Shop  (Victorian-themed basement bar, City)

Nominees: Booking Office (Hotel bar, St Pancras Station);  Experimental Cocktail Club (speakeasy-style cocktail bar, Chinatown);  Zetter Townhouse (Quirky hotel-style bar, Clerkenwell)

Best New Cheap Eats

Winner: Manchurian Legends (Dongbei Chinese, Chinatown)

Nominees: Ariana II (Afghan, Kilburn);  KaoSarn (Thai, Brixton);  Meza (Lebanese, Tooting)

Best New Design

Winner: Massimo (Italian)  designed by David Collins Studio
Nominees: Nopi (Pan-Asian);  Riding House Café (Brasseries); Spuntino (North American)

Best New Fine Dining

Winner: Pollen Street Social (from chef Jason Atherton)

Nominees: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal;  Hedone; Medlar

Best New Local Restaurant

Winner: Malina (Polish, Chiswick)

Nominees: Brawn (French, Bethnal Green); Corner Room (Mod European, Bethnal Green); Kateh (Iranian, Warwick Avenue)

Best New Restaurant

Winner:Hawksmoor Seven Dials (British steakhouse)

Nominees: Kopapa (Kiwi brasserie);  Morito (Spanish);  Spuntino (New York style no-bookings)

Best Park Café

Winner: Lido Café (at Brockwell Lido, Brixton)

Nominees: Fulham Palace Café;  Lido Café (Serpentine, Hyde Park); Pavilion Café, Highgate Woods

Best Sushi Bar

Winner: Yashin  (modern Japanese sushi, Knightsbridge)

Nominees: Atari-ya;  Dinings;  Sushi of Shiori

A Ribble Valley brewed beer was one of three winners at the Fine Food Awards this year for top Food North West Gold Heart. Brewed at Bashall Eaves, Admiral of the Blues, from the Bowland Beer Company, shared top spot with a Lancashire Hotpot Patsy by Lancashire Pasty in Blackburn and a Vegan Mud Pie by Fantasy Cupcakes from Rawtenstall.

Headless Peg and Cromwell Stout, two other Bowland Beers also won Food NW Heart Awards at the event, where Nigel Haworth announced the winners, the chef patron of Northcote and a regular appearing on many TV cookery shows.

The best fine foods throughout the region are recognized by the awards that are organized by Food NW and include from cakes, chutneys and cheeses, to bread, bacon and butter. The awards for this year saw close to 400 products with over 132 companies entering from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and Merseyside. They were then reduced to just three winners for Gold Heart and 106 winners for Heart Awards.

In 2003 the Bowland Beer Company Ltd came to life when Richard Baker the  founder finished working in the Falkland Island and came back to fulfill a dream of opening a microbrewery and producing artisan beer.

His friends had just completed a farm shop in Bashall and were looking for tenants the rest as they say is history. Having lived everywhere in the country with the exception of the Northwest he was keen to be successful and now, he is not only successful but has an award winning business and has made his home in Lancashire.

The entries, for the Highland & Islands Food & Drink Forum, for businesses, organizations and individual must be submitted by July 4^th, a Monday. The Awards celebrate achievement and excellence in the food & drink industry and are supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and organized by Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Forum.

The entries are recognized for the categories for healthier food and drink, new products, innovation, businesses working in collaboration with one another and new businesses. Then the short listed group for each category will be announced in September.

A spectacular dinner will be the setting for the presentation of the winners and will showcase delicious food and drink from the area and will be held at the Drumossie Hotel, Inverness 21 October 2011.

Previous winners have said the improved profile they have after being recognized has contributed to their marketing and sales tremendously and at the same time given them a great deal of confidence to further their business and improve product development. Highlands & Islands Food & Drink chairman Quintin Stevens said being put on the shortlist for one of the awards means great potential for the product and the business involved.

For the Scotland Food and Drink Excellence Awards there is only two weeks more for young chefs to enter the category for 2011 Young Scottish Chef of the Year that looks for a chef able to create innovative and delicious dishes, can help the growing food and drink industry in Scotland and is passionate about the ingredients of Scotland.

The winner of last year’s title was Alan Robertson for his passion of Scottish ingredients and his skills and excellence in the kitchen. Many opportunities and challenges have come his way since he won and his career has really flourished.

Martin Wishart, the AA Chef’s current Chef of the Year, is a member of the judging panel and his Edinburgh restaurant will be used to give the winner work experience. He commented that this is time for the chefs to shine, mentioning that the country has an abundant amount of young culinary talent and there is not better way to take advantage of every opportunity than being crowned the young chef of the year.

The dinner and awards will be on Thursday 26 May at the Doubletree Hilton Dunblane Hydro Hotel with the Clydesdale Bank being the principal sponsor.