Burghfield Spices qualifies as finalist in Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards

A popular Indian restaurant has been recognised at an annual awards ceremony for the UK’s top Asian cuisine.

The Hatch Gate and Burghfield Spices, in Burghfield, qualified again as a finalist in the prestigious Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards.

It was among four nominees in the Restaurant of the Year category for the South Central region — the only restaurant in West Berkshire to be put forward.

The winner for this category this year was Jalpari of Woodley.

But even qualifying as finalist has helped to evaluate the restaurant’s profile, says owner, Mashiur Rahman.

After the nominations drive, in which the public were asked to vote for their favourite Asian restaurant, each restaurant was assessed to determine its eligibility for an award.

Mr Rahman explained the organisers reviewed his quality of service; quality of product; value for money; and food hygiene ratings, in tandem with inspecting TripAdvisor and social media reviews.

And the community reaction when he shared the news was very positive on social media.

“It was a UK-wide competition,” added Mr Rahman. “We weren’t just competing against local restaurants, but national ones as well. It’s been a big task.”

A ceremony, hosted by BBC presenters Samantha Simmonds and Paul Martin, took place on Sunday (October 8) at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Unfortunately, Mr Rahman and his staff were unable to attend.