Curry lovers, get ready, National Curry Week 2026 is under way, and this year six contestants are being sent on a culinary journey around the world in the battle to become Curry Cook-Off Champion.

The annual celebration of one of Britain’s favourite foods returns with a five-part Cook-Off World series putting six influencers to the test across different curry traditions from around the globe.

From India’s Railway Lamb Curry and Japan’s much-loved katsu to Thai Green Curry and the flavours of Jamaica, every round brings a new cuisine, a new challenge and a specialist chef ready to judge whether the contestants have done it justice.

And there is more than bragging rights at stake.

The eventual National Curry Week Curry Cook-Off: World series Champion 2026 will secure a £1,000 donation to a charity of their choice.

Broadcaster Tommy Sandhu, Kingfisher brand ambassador, and comedian Richard Blackwood are overseeing proceedings, bringing plenty of humour, rivalry and competitive spirit as the contestants attempt to survive each stage.

First stop: India

The competition begins in India with a Railway Lamb Curry challenge.

Tasked with judging the opening dishes is award-winning chef Praveen Kumar, founder of Praveen Kumar, who brings his knowledge of Indian cuisine to determine which contestants have risen to the first challenge.

But there is little time to get comfortable.

The next round takes the competitors thousands of miles east – at least gastronomically – as they head to Japan.

This time, Katsu Curry is on the menu, with private chef and Japanese cuisine specialist Tony Tsang, founder of Desk Gourmet, taking his place on the judging panel.

The switch from Indian curry to its Japanese counterpart gets to the heart of this year’s theme.

While many of the flavours and cooking traditions associated with curry have deep roots in South Asia, they have travelled across borders and generations, with countries around the world creating their own distinctive interpretations.

And the challenges only get tougher.

Thailand turns up the heat

For round three, the contestants face one of Thailand’s most recognisable dishes – Thai Green Curry.

Chef Lalita, of Lali by Lalita, a private chef specialising in Thai cuisine, will be watching closely as the competitors attempt to balance the herbs, aromatics, spice and richness associated with the dish.

From Thailand, the Cook-Off heads across the world to Jamaica.

The fourth challenge sees the remaining contestants tackle a Shrimp Coconut Curry, judged by Chef Chin, of Chin’s Kitchen.

The Jamaican round brings Caribbean flavour and technique into the competition and provides another example of how curry has travelled, evolved and become embedded within very different culinary cultures.

Then comes the wheel…

Making it through four countries does not mean the finalists can prepare for what comes next.

For the Pan-Asian final, their fate will be decided by the spin of a wheel.

The finalists will discover which part of Asia – and crucially which style of curry – they must cook only after taking their chance on the wheel.

Theo Fox, co-founder of The Chilli Trail, will have the final say as the last contestants standing battle for the title of National Curry Week Curry Cook-Off Champion 2026.

Celebrating Britain’s love affair with curry

Founded in 1998, National Curry Week has become an annual celebration of the restaurants, chefs, home cooks, creators and communities that continue to shape Britain’s curry culture.

For 2026, organisers are using the Cook-Off to demonstrate just how far that culture stretches.

Indian, Japanese, Thai, Jamaican and Pan-Asian cuisines may produce very different plates, but the competition explores the way curry has crossed borders and been reimagined through different ingredients, cultures and cooking traditions.

For Britain’s curry lovers, however, National Curry Week is also an opportunity to celebrate what is happening much closer to home.

Across the country, independent curry houses, restaurants, chefs and family businesses continue traditions that have transformed Britain’s food culture – while a new generation of chefs and restaurateurs is increasingly pushing those traditions in new directions.

And throughout National Curry Week, Asian Standard will be celebrating some of those people and places across our regions.

For now, though, the aprons are on, the pans are hot and six contestants have a title to fight for.

Six influencers. A journey around the curry globe. £1,000 for charity. And only one can be crowned National Curry Week Curry Cook-Off Champion 2026.

The full National Curry Week Curry Cook-Off series is available to watch now on the National Curry Week website.