Scotland’s masala merchants are a busy bunch who work  their socks off to keep up with the nation’s appetite for all things spicy.

The latest news is that the Harlequin group of Ashoka restaurants has a new venture in the pipeline. Upper Craig Road in Stirling is to be home to a new branch of Kama Sutra.

Meanwhile, over at the ever jocular Trampy and the Tramp’s Glasgow of Curry blog, the burly bhoona lovers have cast an eye over the runners in the annual Curry Capital of Britain competition.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are both in the frame but the smart money seems to be on the Strathclyde pakora purveyors rather than the capital’s korma creators.

You can still vote for the outcome by emailing this address: votecity@fedrest.com

If all this has put you in the mood for a curry then 5pm can sort you out with a huge array of top notch curry vendors. The original Kama Sutra on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street is offering 20% off their a la carte when you book through 5pm or you can browse all the Indian restaurants on our books by clicking here.