BELBROUGHTON chef Abul Kashem curried favour with the judges at a top competition to be crowned the ‘UK's King of Spice’.

Mr Kashem, of Five Spice in Stourbridge Road, was named a winner of the 2015 Curry Chef Awards, organised by the Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA).

He was up against 30 chefs from across the UK, who showcased their skills by creating a signature dish in just 45 minutes at an intense cook-off.

Mr Kashem said: “I was competing against some of the finest chefs in the country so to be selected as a winner is absolutely brilliant.

"It’s a real honour, these are the Oscars of the curry industry!”

The Curry Chef Awards saw the dishes and their creators rated on factors such as taste, aroma, presentation and hygiene.

The winners were announced at a glamorous gala dinner held at the Park Plaza Hotel in Westminster, hosted by Master Chef star Gregg Wallace alongside Daybreak presenter Tasmin Lucia-Khan.

Tipu Rahman, head of the BCA Chef awards committee, said: “The UK curry industry is going from strength to strength and the standard of cooking is being taken to a whole new level.

"This cook-off gave us the chance to celebrate the talents we have in this country and the chefs created some truly stunning dishes.”