Staff at a popular Indian restaurant in Leek are celebrating after winning a prestigious curry award!

Last night Pabna on Ashbourne Road won in this year's English Curry Awards for West Midlands Restaurant of the Year 2022.

The local restaurant are no stranger to being named as one of the best curry houses in the local area - we reported in 2021 how they were also nominated for the award last year, and they have gone one step further and won outright in previous years too.

Reacting to the win a spokesperson for Pabna said: "We are so delighted to tell you we have won West Midlands Best Restaurant!

"We are lost for words! We would like to say a huge thank you to you all for supporting us and our amazing team and family for making this possible. It wouldn't be possible without you!"

The awards are a celebration of top Asian curry professionals, and the nominations are chosen through a vote by members of the public.

They were up against several West Midlands restaurants who were also nominated for the award, including:

• Shifnal Balti (Shifnal)
• Millennium Balti (Leamington Spa)
• Thania Spice (Birmingham)
• Purnima Indian Cuisine (Smethwick)
• Bombay Pickles (Stourbridge)
• Dilshad Indian Restaurant (Wolverhampton)
• Raja Monkey (Birmingham)
• Lamp Restaurant (Wednesbury)
• Gurkha 1816 (Wednesbury)

The renowned black-tie awards ceremony took place last night (August 22nd) at Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport – Nec.

The awards highlight the growth of the Asian curry sector and recognise the achievements of those who work their hardest to perfect every meal. Those awarded included chefs, restaurants, managers, takeaways, teams and curry schools.

A spokesperson for the event organiser, Oceanic Consulting said: "The curry campaign has been hugely successful across the UK with Scottish, English and London editions to the awards. The English Curry Awards were one of our first and remain one of our best awards. It's always a brilliant night of fun, food and celebration.

"Despite the many challenges facing the curry industry, these awards prove year after year how much talent there is fuelling the industry, satisfying all of our curry cravings."