Photo:Shah Athar, COO of UK Curry Connect and organiser of the UK Curry Championships 2026, proudly presents the National Curry Chef of the Year trophy ahead of the prestigious culinary competition in Dunstable.
Battle For Britain’s Best Curry Chef
Seventeen chefs from the UK and Europe will compete in Dunstable for the National Curry Chef of the Year title at the prestigious UK Curry Championships 2026 culinary competition.
The heat is rising ahead of the UK Curry Championships 2026, where 17 talented chefs from across the UK and Europe will compete for the coveted title of National Curry Chef of the Year.
Taking place on Thursday 28 May 2026 in the market town of Dunstable, the prestigious culinary competition is expected to showcase some of the finest talent in the hospitality industry. Competitors include chefs with Michelin-starred backgrounds, AA Rosette experience, television appearances and multiple industry awards, alongside ambitious amateur chefs eager to test their skills against seasoned professionals.
The event is organised by Shah F. Athar, Chief Operating Officer of UK Curry Connect, a leading trade body within the South Asian hospitality sector. The competition is being held in partnership with the Craft Guild of Chefs as part of the respected British Culinary Championships.
This year’s finalists are:
- Praveen Singh Rawat – Essence at The Pantiles by Atul Kochhar, Royal Tunbridge Wells
- Arup Dasgupta – Euphoria by Chef Arup
- Shiv Kapoor – Mister Nice, Mayfair
- Rohan Wadke – Cameron House Hotel, Loch Lomond
- Dheeraj Singh Kaira – Benares, Berkeley Square
- Shabu Natarajan – Kinara by Shabu Natarajan, Glasgow
- Manikantan Sree Rajhan – The Belfry Hotel, Sutton Coldfield
- Dev Biswal – The Cook’s Tale, Canterbury
- Jit Sunar – Mount Gurkha Village, Derby
- Md. Sohel Khan – Babaji, Sunderland
- Nigar Parvin – Stoke Place Hotel
- Vikas Negi – London
- Gianmarco Lupi – Italy
- Steve Heap – Birmingham
- Visakh Pradeep Kumar – London
- Saskar Shawnim – Birmingham
- Layla Hamid – Birmingham
Competitors will have just one hour to prepare two dishes: a vegetarian or seafood starter and a lamb-based main course. Chefs are encouraged to present any style of curry cuisine, from traditional regional classics to modern interpretations inspired by flavours from around the world.
The dishes will be assessed by an esteemed panel of international judges including Nick Wort (Salon Director), Steve Scuffell, Raj Mandal, Stuart McLeod, Stuart Nisbet, Tony Leck, Rajesh Suri, Chad Rahman, Fatih Oncu and Najib Ali.
This year’s competition is proudly sponsored by The IBD Partnership Group, Square Mile Insurance Services, Imran Brothers Foods, Sponsor License Specialists, Kingfisher Beer, [MOCK], Heer Rice and Knoesis Technologies.
