Rothwell and Rushden restaurants are finalists in glittering national curry awards

The ARTA awards will take place in October

Both are up for restaurant of the year at the awards which will be handed-out next month

Two Indian restaurants are in the final of a prestigious curry award.

Taste of India, in Rothwell and The Spice Lounge in Rushden are both nominated in the East Midlands restaurant of the year category at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards (ARTA).

The winners will be announced at a glittering celebrity red-carpet event at the InterContinental Hotel at The O2-London next month.

The awards reward excellence, craft, creativity, and great taste by bringing the UK’s most prestigious Asian restaurants and chefs together under one roof.

Finalists were chosen based on survey data of over 700,000 customer base of ARTA’s strategic partner ChefOnline, followed by a final judgement of an esteemed judging panel to crown each region’s South Asian excellency.

Hosted by Samantha Simmonds, Journalist and Broadcaster, BBC and Paul Martin, Magician and member of the world-famous Magic Circle, the coveted awards are in recognition of the UK’s best South Asian cuisine across a series of prestigious regional and national categories.

The UK’s Curry industry contributes £5 billion annually, which as of 2015 has accounted for a fifth of the restaurants in the UK dating back to the 1800’s. Today there are more Indian restaurants in Greater London than in Delhi and Mumbai combined.

Mohammed Munim, Founder Member and CEO of ARTA, said: “Britain has some of the most vibrant and dynamic Asian restaurants, and they are an integral part of the fabric and culture of the country.”