A chef from Long Buckby saw off 35 rivals in a hotly-contested curry cook-off to be named the best in the East Midlands.
Shahjan Ahmed, a chef at Voujon, an Indian restaurant and takeaway in Church Street, Long Buckby, was named the regional winner at the inaugural Master Chef Promotions Awards ceremony held in New Bingley Hall in Birmingham.
Keen food lovers had until the end of November last year to nominate and vote for their favourite restaurant before the lavish ceremony on Sunday, January 25.
Amran Ali, owner of Voujon, said: “We were extremely excited to be shortlisted for this award and for Shahjan to go on and win it was a huge honour.
“He has worked with us for 12 years and his experience proved vital in the cook-off. We hope this can prove to be a real catalyst to putting ourselves on the map.
“We have worked hard on the restaurant and this award is wonderful recognition for the hours our team have put in.”
Mr Ahmed was given just one hour to produce a starter, main course and a rice dish of his choice at the finals under the watchful eyes of an expert judging panel including big industry names including Pat Chapman, Chad Rahman, Paul Fulford, Manju Malhi, Peter Grove and Franck Pontais.
Mr Ahmed’s fruity take on seafood with his starter of mango prawns impressed judges, followed by his signature dish of lamb nahiri with cumin rice.
For more details on Voujon, visit www.voujon.co.uk/ or call 01327 843806.