][1]Fancy a Ruby?
Well, it’s certainly the right time for it. We’re slap bang in the middle of National Curry Week.
Now in its 16th year, National Curry Week 2013 runs until Sunday. Once again it aims to celebrate curry in Britain and raise money for charity.
Big business
Curry is big business in the UK. Some 23 million people eat curry on a regular basis in Britain each year and it is estimated the average Briton spends £34,000 on curry over the course of their lifetime.
Despite the recession, the numbers of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants in Britain has varied little in recent years and curry lovers still have a choice of over 9000 establishments in which to enjoy their favourite food.
The organisers of the annual National Curry Week have conducted a survey to find out what our favourite curry is. Chicken tikka masala remains at number one with 19% of the votes but, most interestingly, the second biggest category, classed as ‘other’, scores 16% of the votes.
Spicy adventurers
Chicken jalfrezi, dhansak, kormas and rogan josh curries are all still popular but there has bhuna (sorry) massive rise in regional specialities. It seems that diners are becoming more adventurous and open to trying other dishes than those made familiar back in the dim and distant days of the old school curry house.
Edinburgh’s Mithas, twice winner of the Best Indian award at the Scottish Restaurant Awards, is a fine example of the new breed of Indian restaurants.
5pm offers on Indian
As always, 5pm Dining has plenty of mighty fine offers on cracking Indian restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
It’s Friday. Have a curry.