An INDIAN restaurant from Malpas hopes to 'curry' favour with judges at the Annual Curry Life Awards after being shortlisted for an accolade.

Forts of India Restaurant in Chester Road, Hampton, Malpas, are celebrating the news that it is in the running for 'Best Curry Restaurant' in the UK in the competition, which seen as the most celebrated annual event for British curry houses.

Restaurant owner, Akhtar Miah said he was thrilled to be heading into the finals of the competition with his popular eating place.

He said: "This will be the first year we have been shortlisted for Curry Life National Awards, which is very good news.

"It makes me very happy, our restaurant is very established now and well loved by diners despite being in Cheshire Food Scene for relatively shorter period then others.

"It is a lovely restaurant, which has become a popular destination for good quality food and service.

"We can always hope to be joining the League of Curry Life’s Elite Club of Best Curry Restaurants in the Country for 2018.”

This year more than 1,000 restaurants and takeaways were put forward for the awards through postal and online nominations.

The annual Curry Life Award in association with Just Eat celebrates the unsung heroes behind Britain's favourite dishes.

In a letter of support for this constituency restaurant, Eddisbury MP Antoinette Sandbach has written to Mr Miah directly to express her delight and said: “I have heard nothing but good reports of your establishment and congratulate you and your team on achieving such outstanding performance and culinary excellence. I wish you and you very best of luck at the awards ceremony.”

Mr Miah and his team are looking forward to this year's ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel Central London, where the winners will be announced in a glittering ceremony to be held on Sunday, October 7, alongside the first ever World Curry Expo in London.

The Curry Life Magazine is acknowledged as the voice of the Curry Industry in Great Britain. It reaches to thousands of curry houses and takeaways bi-monthly across Britain.