A Greater Manchester curry house has been awarded the coveted title of ‘Champion of Champions’ at the Asian Restaurant And Takeaway Awards 2023.
The Milnrow Balti Restaurant, based on Dale Street in Milnrow, Rochdale, beat some tough competition to be crowned champion at the prestigious awards ceremony which celebrates Pan Asian cuisine across the UK.
ARTA 2023, dubbed the ‘Curry Oscars’, welcomed a guest list of the nation’s most popular Asian restaurateurs alongside MPs, dignitaries, and celebrities as they collectively honoured the achievements of the industry.
The Milnrow Balti took home another award for Best Regional Restaurant of the Year, which it took home last year also.
In another win for Greater Manchester, the Bradshaw Tandoori in Bolton won Regional Takeaway of the Year North West.
The ceremony, held at Hilton Park Lane, London on October 8th, was hosted by TV presenters, Samantha Simmonds and Paul Martin. Martin also entertained the guests with a magic tricks show.
Interspersing the awards presentation were performances by singer Kavya Limaye and Ujaan Mukherjee – both performed live and delighted the audience with their talent.
ARTA Founder, Mohammed Munim, said: “I would like to congratulate all of the winners and finalists of ARTA 2023 – the Pan Asian restaurants, takeaways, and chefs who are the pride of the UK’s hospitality industry.
“As the first and foremost award ceremony to honour the finest of the UK’s Asian restaurant and takeaway industry, we salute your resilience and fortitude as you continue to serve diners and customers across the UK in particularly challenging circumstances.
“I would like to thank Lords, Ministers, High Commissioners, dignitaries, and guests for joining us on this occasion.”
He continued: “The UK’s popular Asian restaurant industry, synonymous with taking operational and business challenges such as staff shortages and the Covid pandemic head on, now faces a new set of challenges – the current cost of living crisis.
“The cost of supplies, ingredients, and energy have risen significantly while customers are also facing tightened household budgets.
“In this tough situation, ARTA once again honours the UK’s best Asian restaurants and takeaways who continue to deliver the best in the restaurant and home dining in these tough circumstances.
“ARTA recognises this industry, which is the result and displays the successes of multiculturalism in the UK.”
Winners at the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Awards 2023:
Champion of Champion: The Milnrow Balti Restaurant, Rochdale
National Chef of the Year: The Chequers Indian Lounge, Great Blakenham, Ipswich
National Takeaway of the Year: Kaani Kaana, Chelmsford
Newcomer of the Year: Coco Buffet, Weston-super-Mare
Fine Dine Restaurant of the Year: Dining Room, Sheerness, Rochester
Street Food Restaurant of the Year: My Delhi, Newcastle upon Tyne
Japanese Restaurant of the Year: Maneki Ramen, Worcester
Korean Restaurant of the Year: Yori, Piccadilly Circus, London
Sri Lankan Restaurant of the Year: Colombo Kitchen Restaurant, Worcester Park, Kingston upon Thames
European Restaurant of the Year: Tamasha, Playa Blanca, Spain
Regional Restaurant of the Year – Northern Ireland: Nu Delhi Restaurant Lounge, Belfast
Regional Restaurant of the Year – Wales: Belfoi, Carmarthen, Swansea
Regional Restaurant of the Year – North West: The Milnrow Balti Restaurant, Rochdale, Oldham
Regional Restaurant of the Year – West Midlands: Shifnal Balti, Shifnal, Telford
Regional Restaurant of the Year – East Midlands: Nazreen, Kettering, Northampton
Regional Restaurant of the Year – Hertfordshire: Cumin Bar & Restaurant, Broxbourne, Enfield
Regional Restaurant of the Year – Essex: Cinnamon, Epping, Chelmsford
Regional Restaurant of the Year – Surrey: Tarana, Lingfield, Redhill
Regional Restaurant of the Year – South Central: Jalpari of Woodley, Woodley, Reading
Regional Restaurant of the Year – North London: The Rajdoot, Hampstead, London
Regional Restaurant of the Year – South London: Saka Maka, Hither Green, London
Regional Restaurant of the Year – West London: Durbar Tandoori Restaurant, Bayswater, London
Regional Restaurant of the Year – South West: Daaku, Falmouth, Truro
Regional Restaurant of the Year – Sussex: Tamasha, Lindfield, Redhill
Regional Restaurant of the Year – North East: Raval Indian Brasserie & Bar, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne
Regional Takeaway of the Year – North East: Balti Hut, Linthorpe, Cleveland
Regional Takeaway of the Year – North West: Bradshaw Tandoori, Bradshaw, Bolton
Regional Takeaway of the Year – West Midlands: Chutney Express, Castle Bromwich, Birmingham
Regional Takeaway of the Year – Essex: Kaani Kaana, Chelmsford
Regional Takeaway of the Year – Surrey: Mohini Balti House, Carshalton, Sutton
Regional Takeaway of the Year – Kent: Sher-E-Bangla, Longfield, Dartford
Regional Takeaway of the Year – East Anglia: Eastern Spice Ipswich, Suffolk, Ipswich
Regional Takeaway of the Year – East Midlands: Miah’s Takeaway, Heanor, Derby
Regional Takeaway of the Year – Wales: Kalimirch, Barry, Cardiff
Chef of the Year – Wales: Elaichi, Carmarthen, Swansea
Chef of the Year – East Anglia: The Chequers Indian Lounge, Great Blakenham, Ipswich
Chef of the Year – East London: The Empress, Whitechapel, East London
Chef of the Year – South West: Spice Club, Bridgwater, Taunton
Chef of the Year – Surrey: Indian Panorama, East Molesey, Kingston upon Thames
Chef of the Year – Hertfordshire: Ruby, Hertford, Stevenage
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham. “We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
Detectives investigating the discovery of a torso in Kersal Dale have found more human remains around Greater Manchester. GMP released a statement on the weekend, revealing they had opened four scenes for extensive searches – one of them at a warehouse in Bury, and three in Salford. Searches took place at Blackleach reservoir, where human remains were found, and a dog walker found a package containing human remains at Colliery Wood. Officers believe they have now identified the man, who they believe to be a man in his 60s that lived in Salford, and his family have been informed. Two suspects have already been arrested in connection with the murder probe, with officers saying they are thought to have lived with the victim.
Greater Manchester Police / Facebook
Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes, Senior Investigating Officer for this investigation, said in a statement at Blackleach reservoir yesterday, Sunday April 28th: “We have continued to make significant progress in our investigation into human remains being found in Kersal earlier this month.
“From day one, our priority has been to identify the man and his family so that we can give them the support and the answers that they need.
“Thanks to meticulous forensic work, we are now confident we have identified the man. Formal identification hasn’t yet taken place, but we believe he is a man in his 60s and lived in Salford.
“Specially-trained family liaison officers have met with his family this afternoon to give them the devastating news, and we will do all that we can to support them at this awful time.
“We believe he is known to the two suspects we have in custody. They have remained in custody for questioning over the weekend, as we work to establish how the victim met this tragic outcome.”
He continued: “We have painstakingly worked to follow up every line of inquiry in this investigation. Over the last couple of days, we have acted on information and had four scenes in place for extensive searches – one of them is at a warehouse in Bury, and three of them are in Salford, including here at Blackleach reservoir.
“Today, we have found some human remains at the reservoir here, and last night a dog walker found a package containing human remains at Colliery Wood. Forensic tests will continue to establish whose remains these are, but we are very confident that this is also the victim in our investigation.
“We have also been searching a house in Winton where we believe the victim and the two suspects lived. We have found evidence that the victim is likely to have died there – most likely in late March.
“While this is significant progress, we know there is still some way to go to complete this investigation. I also recognise details of this case will have been distressing for the people of Salford and beyond – including the officers that are diligently working on this investigation, and most importantly the man’s heartbroken family.
“Local officers will continue to patrol the affected areas, and we will provide updates when we have more information.”