A NORTH-East chef has returned home after ‘taking curry to India’.

Syed Zohorul Islam, executive chef at the Capital Indian restaurant in Durham City, was part of the British super curry chef team that went to New Delhi, India, to showcase the best in British curry at the Taste of Britain Curry Festival.

Mr Islam said: “I have cooked in various competitions, but cooking British curry in Delhi was a real challenge.

“We gave our diners the best of British high street favourites, curry dishes such as Chicken Tikka Massala, Jalfrezi and Balti dishes.”

Speaking at the festival’s opening ceremony, Cobra Beer founder Lord Karan Bilimoria said: “The achievements of British curry chefs are commendable and we salute them for making the British curry industry a great success.”

The festival was organised by UK trade magazine Curry Life.

Editor Syed Belal Ahmed said: “Good food can unite people and in that regard Britain and India are no exception. The festival was an effort to celebrate the friendship of our two great curry loving nations, Britain and India.”