The owners of a family-run Keswick restaurant will be rubbing shoulders with the best in the country later this month.
Lakeland Spice on Main Street is Cumbria’s only finalist in the Nation’s Curry Awards 2024 and is in the running to be named best curry restaurant in the north. It’s the third year running that the 23-year-old business has been a finalist in the national awards.
Manager Abul Monsur told the Reminder: “They say third time lucky and that’s what we’re hoping for. It’s a really proud moment for us, as a Keswick business, to get nominated as quite often it’s the massive restaurants which win.”
Abul took charge of the business in 2018 after it was established in 2001 by his now late father, Abdul Somed.
Abul, one of seven brothers, one of whom runs The Spice Club in Cockermouth, oversaw a complete refurbishment of the restaurant, which can accommodate up to 65 diners and employs nine staff.
As well as having a more focused menu for customers, a series of special dishes were also introduced which have gone down a storm.
Despite the trials of Covid, where restaurants were among those businesses shut down by the pandemic, Abul said: “The business has gone really well and we are very busy. We always encourage people to book as we can be difficult to get in. The award is a real honour.”
The finals take place at The Hilton, Manchester, on February 12 and are run by Oceanic Consulting, which is Britain’s largest ethnic events company and also runs the Scottish Asian Food Awards.
