Dilshad Tandoori in the beautiful Northumberland village of Stakeford is celebrating being named best Indian Takeaway in the country.
The announcement was made recently at the 10th English Curry Awards in Birmingham attended by 350 guests. The event held at the Holiday Inn marked a celebration of the English curry industry involving businesses from across the country.
Takeaway owner Raju Ahmed told me: “The customers are everything to us and of course we wouldn’t have survived without them. To us it’s all about providing quality food and excellent service. Our ingredients are fresh every day and we have a superb chef.
“It’s been a very difficult year because of the coronavirus and everything, but this award has made everything worthwhile. It’s great for the village as locals have told us it’s put the whole place on the map. People have been asking where we are and then arranging a visit. It’s been truly wonderful.
“We have been here for more than 20 years and as a real family business involving my brother-in-law, my wife and my sister-in-law – it’s everyone we’ve got to know people really well. Across the years we’ve built up an excellent reputation and get people coming to us from miles around. We are never complacent and feel an important part of the local community.”
Having won the regional award in 2019, the family were thrilled when they were named best in the country. Raju added: “It is a great achievement for a small village, and it was an incredible feeling to realise we were suddenly the very best, and at a time when everyone needs good news. It’s such a privilege to represent such a lovely part of the country as well.”
During the pandemic Raju and his staff provided some tasty meals for frontline NHS workers also managing to stay open for both new and regular customers who couldn’t go into restaurants of course.
He explained: “It was our customers who voted for us, and the judges looked very closely at our reviews along with all the other establishments. We came up against some of the best takeaways in our region as well as the UK and are delighted that we managed to win these amazing awards.
“It made us feel very proud. Now we are determined to maintain our high standards and keep improving. We are a relatively small takeaway, but it’s amazing what can happen when you provide the best in service and of course, top class food.”
The even better news is the takeaway is starting to get exceptionally busy as Christmas approaches, and all because of this prestigious award. In fact, they are already taking orders for both Christmas and New-Year’s-eve.
Dilshad specialises in providing the finest Indian cuisine to takeaway and is not only known for its exceptional food, but its high standards of customer service.
Most dishes are familiar to customers, but they’ve also included new and exciting dishes to be more adventurous. If there is a dish not listed on the menu Raju says his chef would be more than happy to prepare it for the customer.
In terms of the award Irfan Younis, CEO of hosts Oceanic Consulting, said: “We are honoured and delighted to have such great finalists and winners representing the English curry industry and enhancing its reputation nationally and internationally.
