With curry being the nation's favourite dish, Kingfisher World Curry Week is set to be a huge success. Kerry Rogan looks at how you can spice up your pub menu.
Bangers and mash or fish and chips may be good old traditional British dishes but, as MP Robin Cook famously declared last year, the UK's favourite meal is curry.
Kingfisher World Curry Week, which runs from October 20 until 26, is a chance to celebrate all things great about our new national dish - and raise money for international charity Action Against Hunger at the same time.
More than 3.5 million curries are eaten every week in the UK. Chicken tikka masala is the nation's favourite with more than 23 million portions eaten each year.
There are all sorts of ways to get involved in Kingfisher World Curry Week, raise money for Action Against Hunger and boost your profits.
Curry can be as simple or as adventurous as you want to make it. You can experiment with different meats, vegetables and sauces as well as trying a variety of accompaniments.
A traditional tikka masala, rogan josh or korma is likely to be popular with your customers, but if you have the time it could be worth experimenting.
Why not try adding a spicy twist to British favourites?
Among the dishes dreamed up by inventive licensees are haggis samosas and sausage vindaloo with yoghurt-flavoured mash.
It is important to remember, however, that your customers will probably be used to takeaways from Indian restaurants and the high quality of cooking sauces they can buy at their local supermaket - make sure your curries are good enough to compete.
Customers generally are becoming far more knowledgeable about world cuisine than they have ever been before.
Children are growing up eating food from all over the globe and this is helping to fuel the demand for ethnic food.
A survey carried out by market research company Mintel last year discovered that 40 per cent of people count Indian food among their favourites - meaning there's a huge customer base out there.
If you want to take part in Kingfisher World Curry Week call the hotline on 020 8241 6315. You will be asked to make a small donation in return for a marketing pack and as much media coverage and support as the Kingfisher team can give you.
Curry facts
- The amount of chicken tikka masala consumed in Britain each year would feed a full-capacity Wembley Stadium two meals a day for more than two months.
- Queen Victoria had an Indian chef called Abdul Karim who had to prepare a curry every day in case she had a
- visitor from India.
- Chilli is the most popular spice in the world. The hottest variety is the naga jolokia. It is so hot it is used as an ingredient in tear gas.
- Chilli is a natural antibiotic and powerful painkiller. It can also be used to ease arthritis and painful joints.
- Indian cuisine is the third most popular food in the world.
- The first Indian restaurant opened in the UK in 1911.
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger is an international organisation that works to fight famine and hunger. Each year the organisation helps more than three million people in 40 countries worldwide. Some of Action Against Hunger's relief operations are currently in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi. The charity is hoping to smash the £17,000 total raised during curry week last year.
Action Against Hunger: 020 7394 63000
Curry recipes
Quorn Tikka Masala(pictured)
Khara Pasanda
Meatball Vindaloo
Chicken Korma
Thai Green Curry with Chicken
Quorn Samosas with Mango and Mint Dip(pictured top)
Lamb Balti