A welcome to the 18th BCA Awards and a reflection on talent, resilience and collective advocacy.
A warm welcome to BCA's 18th Awards night. Since 1960, BCA has been committed to creating success for our industry and, as a result, the awards are now acknowledged as a significant date within the hospitality sector. It is always a privilege to be able to celebrate together, to recognise the brilliant talent of our chefs and restaurants across the UK.
BCA Awards night is always an occasion for fun and passion, and tonight is no different. We will be joined by some very special guests and media personalities. On 30th September we held our annual Chefs' Cook-Off competition in Hammersmith and Fulham College with 45 very talented chefs taking part. Tonight, you will see the winners receive the accolades they deserve!
Our Awards highlight the success of the Bangladeshi curry sector and recognise the achievements of those who work their hardest to perfect every meal, and tonight we will also be honouring the best restaurants and takeaways. In spite of the many challenges facing the curry industry, these Awards prove year after year how much talent there is fuelling this tenacious industry, ensuring the magic of curry lives on. We have an abundance of talent and, like always, competition was fierce this year.
As we look forward to 2026, we can only hope that the future will be brighter for us all. Those of you whose businesses have survived have done so because of your initiative and enterprise and, because of this, I am confident that we will enjoy a much better year next year but, please remember that the BCA is here to help and advise whenever you need it and is stronger because of you, its members. We wait to see what changes the upcoming Budget may make which could affect our industry and we look forward to building a good working relationship with those ministers who will be responsible for looking at immigration.
I wrote last year that the world was, sadly, less safe than it was the year before with the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East causing great concern.
As I write, we can celebrate a ceasefire in Gaza and we can only hope that a lasting peace will follow both there and in Ukraine.
We are still one of this country's favourites and we need to ensure that we maintain that bond that we have built up over many years with our customers. With the dark nights now here, we must encourage them to visit us more often and I hope that, inspired by tonight's celebrations, you can introduce some attractive measures to entice your customers back into your restaurants in even greater numbers.
For my part, I will continue to campaign to ensure that our voice is heard so that, together, we can make a difference for our industry. Many of our long-term supporters are also part of the BCA family, and it is this community spirit that is our strength.
The BCA Awards are one of the few longest-standing awards in the curry industry, and our continued success is also due to the commitment and support of our sponsors, media partners and MPs. I am sure you will enjoy the evening and, more importantly, celebrate knowing that you are part of an organisation which has a big legacy and influence on British life and culture.
Transcribed from the 2025 BCA Awards programme. Line breaks and clear scan errors have been normalised for readability.