The people of Birmingham can sleep easy, now that the Curry King has taken his crown. Vision 4 Print defeated their taste-bud tempting opponents with their ‘Bombay Brexit’ dish that tikka’d all the boxes. LoveBrum has ensured that this night will be one to be remembered, but also with a lasting legacy after £20,000 was raised to support local projects.  

Last Friday saw witness to a top culinary competition, aimed to highlight both the city’s love of curry and charity. Guests were invited to a black tie ball with a twist; with each table creating its own dish from a variety of meats, vegetables, herbs and spices. These signature dishes were put to the taste test by a judging panel of those who know the difference between pilau and peshwari.

The array of dishes were meticulously analysed by some of Birmingham’s most well-established and respected chefs, including the likes of food writer Paul Fulford; entrepreneur and award-winning Lasan chef, Aktar Islam; creative director of Pushkar Cocktail Bar and Dining, Rai Singh; and Restaurateur and owner of Itihaas, Raj Rana. Joining them included the founder of Miss Macaroon, Rosie Griday; director of East End Foods, Dr Jason Wouhra; founder of Eat Yumzee, Rebecca Sorusch; founder of the Asian Today, Anita Chumber; partner in Alternative Tours, Andy Munro; and founder and editor of I Choose Birmingham, Tom Cullen.

But only one could take the crown of the nation’s favourite curry capital, and that fell to the heads of Vision 4 Print with their ‘Bombay Brexit’ beauty. A tantalising mix of garam masala, cumin and chilli powder (to name a few) ensured their gastronomic success, which everyone can get a taste of, as the winning dish will be placed on the Pushkar’s menu. They will start their reign with a tour of the East Ends Foods factory in Birmingham followed by dinner courtesy of MD Dr Jason Wouhra. In addition, Vision 4 Print is set to receive a fabulous silver balti bowl trophy, made in Birmingham’s very own Jewellery Quarter. However, there was a double edged-sword that delivered a woeful blow to the losing team, with a wooden spoon being awarded to Rice Media and FleetMilne.

There was bit of excitement for everyone, as the evening laid host to a range of exciting activities; from a heads and tails games led by Bobby Davro, to a raffle filled with enviable prizes provided by the likes of Clements and Church, Hotel du Vin and The Lasan Group. Many of Birmingham’s biggest businesses made up the audience of 500, including Barclays, Virgin Media, PwC and No5 Chambers. The event raised £20,000, which will now go on to fund at least 10 projects in the city as part of LoveBrum’s monthly funding.

Chairman of Curry King of Birmingham, Kathryn Small, said:

“It was a pleasure to chair the Curry King of Birmingham 2016 committee. We wanted to deliver a truly unique event, and judging by the overwhelming support we received in the run up to and feedback we have received following, I think we did just that. Bring on CKoB 2017!”

Chairman of LoveBrum, Tim Andrews, commented on the event:

“LoveBrum is pretty different to most charities in how it distributes the funds it raises. We hope that we can be different in many things that we do, and I’m sure people who attended the inaugural CKoB will agree that the night was, well indeed, different.

“We are so grateful for those that supported the night – the table owners, our guests, our events committee, and our headline sponsors; East End Foods, H-J Wealth Planning, SimkissGuy Recruitment, and Swallow Drinks. We now have the foundation upon which to grow the night, and to make it synonymous with our city. 

“People coming together to make our city an even place is what LoveBrum is all about. And we did just that. The money raised will now go directly to supporting another wave of local projects.”