A CHEF from Dursley has been named the UK’s king of spice – landing the top prize at a lavish curry industry awards ceremony.

Siddique Ahmed, who works at the Bengal Lounge in Long Street, was one of the big winners at the 2015 Curry Chef Awards, organised by the Bangladesh Caterers Association.

He fought off competition from 30 chefs from across the country who showcased their skills by creating a signature dish in an intense 45-minute cook-off.

Speaking after winning his award, Mr Ahmed 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.”

Mr Ahmed is no stranger to success and recognition of his culinary talents on the nation level having won the same award in last year’s competition.

As part of the awards event, the dishes and their creators were 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 on Sunday (November 22).

The ceremony was hosted by MasterChef 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.”

The Bangladesh Caterers Association was formed in 1960 and represents 12,000 restauranteurs from across the UK.

For more details on the competition and award winners visit www.bca1960.com