Seven curry restaurants in the North East have been named in the UK's top 100 after wowing judges and fellow restaurateurs. 

As the country went to the election polls on July 4, 120 of the country’s leading Indian and Asian chefs and restaurateurs were honoured at a special ceremony at the House of Lords - which revealed seven venues in the region inside the UK's best.

The prestigious event was hosted by Lord Kamall on behalf of the Asian Catering Federation (ACF) and presented by BBC news anchor Samantha Simmonds. 

The event awarded winners of the Asian and Oriental Chef Awards, which were determined at a live cook-off competition.

Despite no North East curry chefs making the prestigious list, there were also presentations to owners of the new Top 100 Asian restaurants, which featured the lucky seven.

The seven curry houses included in the UK top 100:

  • Vadah - Castlegate Mill, Riverside, Stockton-on-Tees 
  • My Delhi - 87A Clayton St, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Babul's - 9 Market Place, Barnard Castle
  • Shampan Restaurant - 185 Whitley Road, Whitley Bay
  • Balti Hut -12 Pilkington Buildings, Roman Road, Linthorpe, Middlesbrough
  • Dilshad Tandoori Takeaway - 125 Ashington Drive, Stakeford
  • Dhamaka - 4 Brockwell Centre, Dhamaka, Northumbrian Road, Cramlington 

"Announcing the Top 100 allows us to recognise more of the better venues in the UK," explained George Shaw, director of communications at the federation, adding, "Not all restaurant goers want or can afford to eat in, fine dining establishments, very often - if at all.  

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"This listing allows customers to also find very good local restaurants."

The occasion also served as a launch platform for the eighth Asian Restaurant Awards - open to entries from all categories of Asian establishment nationwide, being held in Manchester on August 27 - and the 14th Asian Curry Awards in London on November 17.

ACF Chairman Yawar Khan urged spice lovers to nominate their favourites, saying: "These awards help attract young talent to the sector, motivate owners to achieve ever higher standards and provide a massive boost to business to winners."

The event was organised by the Asian Catering Federation (ACF), which represents the UK’s 35,000 Asian and Oriental restaurants and takeaways. 

All ACF awards are open to all Asian cuisines: Bangladeshi, Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Singaporean, Sri Lankan, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese