The Birmingham duo created a mouth-watering dish of cauliflower kofta to walk away with the coveted Cook-Off Cup at the Press Club’s curry competition evening. And just to demonstrate their knowledge of all things hot and tasty, Kay and Dawn also won the Spice Quiz, compiled by Indian chef and author Anita Sharma-James, who organised the event.

Telly Boys Bob Warman and Mark Gough, from ITV Central, HSBC’s Steve Gracey and Laura McManus, Press Club directors Sonya Bell and Katie Cohen, and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce PR chief John Lamb and Jennifer Campbell also served up some memorable dishes.

“The teams put in some valiant efforts to recreate cauliflower kofta, one of my signature dishes that I demonstrated before the competition, and after a competitive hour or so of cooking there were five impressive curries in a spicy tomato sauce.

“It was all rather tense while the judging took place, but in the end the dish from Kay and Dawn was a well-deserved winner,” said Anita, who was a medical research scientist before setting up her own cookery school seven years ago.

Kay, a director at Core Marketing & Events, said: “It was a great evening and Anita did a sterling job in organising the event.”

The curry evening was held at Harborne Food School, where co-founder Robert Smith welcomed Press Club members, informing them about the history of the School and its commitment to the local community and good food.