This week marks the 20^thanniversary of the celebration: #NationalCurryWeek. Founded by Pete Grove, the National Curry Week first took place in 1988 with the aim of; first, honouring the nation’s favourite cuisine, second, celebrating the burgeoning Indian restaurant industry and, lastly, raising money for poverty-focussed charities.

The official National Curry Week charity for 2018 is Curry for Change. They carry out critical work in rural regions throughout Asia and Africa and have helped over 16,500 families suffering from hunger. Their works helps people living in rural regions throughout Asia and Africa. They combat malnourishment and poverty by providing vital information about nutrition and health and also provide the communities with the means to grow their own food.

To learn more about the celebration our reporters visited Babur Restaurant in Forest Hill to speak to executive chef Jiwan Lal. He pointed out the importance of National Curry Week for other Curry restaurants to get more recognition. He also shared how mastered his own style: “Some things I learn from my mother, my father, and then I’ve done my own, it’s a mixture of everything it’s not that it comes from generations only.”

We also asked him the big question: What makes the perfect curry? He said “I think more ingredients and technique – if the ingredient is fresh and good quality then your dish will come perfect.”

Celebrities have also been getting involved using the hashtag #NationalCurryWeek. Jamie Oliver tweeted about national curry week and shared one of his curry recipes. Gordon Ramsay tweeted: “UK, keep calm and curry on, its #NationalCurryWeek….” Supermarkets have also joined in with the trend by posting curry recipes and using the week to promote their curry dishes in stores. The UK’s love of curry is stronger than ever, and National Curry Week continues to grow in importance every year.