A Darlington restaurant is among three North East curry houses that are winners of the National Curry Awards (NCA) 2022.

Cafe Spice on Clark's Yard in Darlington is one of a handful of eateries to be crowned Restaurant of the Year 2022.

This year, the awards ceremony will take place on Monday, December 12 2022 at the House of Lords, the Palace of Westminster.

All of the award-winners will attend, along with Members of Parliament, business leaders in the catering industry and sponsors of the awards.

The Northern Echo: Cafe Spice, Darlington. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDSCafe Spice, Darlington. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDS (Image: National Curry Awards)

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The National Curry Awards was launched in 2019 to promote the businesses of the Asian catering industry in addition to highlighting the talented chefs in the industry.

The winners of the awards represent the best that can be achieved through dedication to catering good-quality cuisine and to providing first-class customer service.

The Asian catering industry is valued at approximately around £5 billion.

Despite this, over time, the industry has witnessed a sharp decline. Consequently, the National Curry Awards aims to help further encourage new generations to become excited and involved in the industry.

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The awards event organiser Mr Ahad Chowdhury congratulates all the award-winners for their hard work and devotion to the industry and also gives special thanks to the event sponsors: Euro Foods Group and PayTap for making the event possible.

The award-winners will all be flocking to the House of Lords on Monday, December 12 for the ceremony.

This year’s award winners, in no particular order:

1. Hatti Indian Restaurant, 77-78 Lower Dock St, Newport NP20 1E

Hospitality of the year - South Wales

2. Paprika Takeaway, 160 Talbot Road, Newton, Hyde SK14 4HH

Takeaway of the Year - North West

3. Mr Shaz Rahman, Blue Tiffin Restaurant, 1003 Uttoxeter Road, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 6HE

Chef of the Year

4. Bokhara Restaurant, 2A King Street, Bangor, BT20 3AH

Restaurant of the Year - Northern Ireland

5. Cafe Spice, 19 Clark's Yard, Darlington DL3 7QH

Restaurant of the Year - North East

The Northern Echo: Peter Gibson MP at Cafe Spice in Darlington. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDSPeter Gibson MP at Cafe Spice in Darlington. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDS (Image: National Curry Awards)

6. Ijazz,  25 Egerton Street, Wrexham, LL11 1NA

Restaurant of the Year - North Wales

7. Jashn, Whickham Bank, Swalwell, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE16 3BP

Restaurant of the Year - Newcastle upon Tyne

The Northern Echo: Jashn, Newcastle. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDSJashn, Newcastle. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDS (Image: National Curry Awards)

8. Purple Pakora, 173-175 London Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 4HJ

Restaurant of the Year - North West

9. Sapphire Fine Dining, 17-19 St.John Square, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3AW

Restaurant of the Year - Staffordshire

10. The Shahin Restaurant, 67 Thames St, Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 5QF

Restaurant of the Year - South East

11. Shampan Restaurant, 185 Whitley Road, Whitley Bay NE26 2DN

Restaurant of the Year - North East

The Northern Echo: Shampan, Whitley Bay. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDSShampan, Whitley Bay. Picture: NATIONAL CURRY AWARDS (Image: National Curry Awards)

12. Sigiriya, 173 Ashley Road, Hale, Altrincham WA15 9SD

SriLankan Restaurant of the Year - North West

13. The Milnrow Balti, 22 Dale Street, Milnrow, Rochdale OL16 4HS

Restaurant of the Year - Manchester

14. The Three Mughals, 7 Western Valley Road, Rogerstone, Newport NP10 9DS

Restaurant of the Year - South Wales

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