Hot news: Wigan restaurant wins national curry award
A Wigan restaurant specialising in Indian food is celebrating national honours.
The Aroma Lounge on Moss Lane in Platt Bridge came away with the Outstanding Curry of the Year category at the third annual Nation’s Curry Awards held at the Stanley House Hotel in Blackburn.
The awards were presented for recognising outstanding chefs and successful restaurants, takeaways and food businesses across the UK.
Nominations for Best Chef, Best Takeaway and Best Restaurant came from all over the country with awards handed out to several winners including the delighted Wigan eatery.
The Outstanding Curry category was not awarded for a particular dish but for overall quality of the menu.
Co-owners Mohammed Yusuf and Mohammed Alom, who is also head chef, both attended the ceremony to pick up their certificate which will now take pride of place in the restaurant.
They dedicated the prize to their loyal customers whom they said were behind their success.
The Asian catering industry is worth an estimated £5bn to the UK economy, but in recent years has witnessed a worrying decline that has been largely attributed to a shortage of skilled workers and lack of investment in training.
The award was launched to address these concerns and aims to promote the industry positively by highlighting the sector’s success stories and its wider contribution to UK culture.
Winners at the 2025 awards ranged from long-established family businesses to more recently-launched ventures which, along with the winning chefs, exemplify what can be achieved through dedication to first-class customer service and the creation of fantastic cuisine.
An awards spokesman said: “These curry heroes are making a positive impact in their local communities and showcasing their success will hopefully inspire a new generation to join the industry, securing its future for curry lovers across the UK for many more years to come.”