Curry Awards 2009

The Welsh Assembly Government has announced that they will be sponsoring the Welsh Curry House of the year competition 2009. The competition to find the best Indian Restaurant in Wales now in its third year secured more than 6,000 votes last year from the people of Wales voting for their favourite restaurants.

"This new sponsorship from the Welsh Assembly Government will allow the competition to promote award winning Welsh produce. We have 260 Indian Restaurants in Wales and many are already using quality Welsh ingredients. We would like to see the number using Welsh produce increasing and believe that the competition is the perfect conduit to do this," said Berwyn Rowlands from The Festivals Company.

Meat Promotion Wales and Kingfisher Lager have been sponsors of the competition from the very beginning and return for a third year. A new development for 2009 will see the 20 restaurants who reach the regional finals being asked to include a Welsh Lamb dish on their menus as part of the competition.

"Meat Promotion Wales is delighted to be a principal sponsor of the Welsh Curry House of the Year competition. Welsh Lamb is a succulent and sumptuous ingredient which can form the basis of many meals, and can be used in a multitude of ways. We’re very excited at the possibilities offered by the competition in combining the finest quality Welsh Lamb with the best of Indian cooking to create an authentic Welsh curry," said Graham Titchener, Marketing Manager, Meat Promotion Wales.

"Kingfisher Lager is delighted to be closely associated once again with the Welsh Curry House of the year competition and extends its best wishes to all those in the Industry in Wales," said Brian Dozey, Marketing Director of UBSN Ltd, sole European Distributors of Kingfisher, the World's No.1 - selling Premium Indian Lager.

The 2009 Welsh Curry House of the year competition will be launched on Thursday 27 November 2008.

The Sheesh Mahal in Llanelli the Welsh Curry House of the Year 2008 winners (pictured above) at Y Senedd in Cardiff Bay with Lord Dafydd Elis Thomas