Making the most of Birmingham’s ‘curry capital’ title, LoveBrum’s flagship fundraising event Curry King of Birmingham, is back at the ICC on Friday 9 November for the third year in a row. This year’s judges feature some of the best in the business, including Aktar Islam (Opheem), Alex Claridge (The Wilderness), Rai Singh (Pushkar and Praza), Nitisha Patel (My Modern Indian Kitchen), and Jaimon George (Zen Metro). They will also be joined by acclaimed critic Paul Fulford and hospitality expert, Adam Hayes.

The annual event aims to raise £30,000 for the charity by bringing together hundreds of the city’s professionals for an evening dedicated to baltis, bhunas, biryanis and more! Each table creates their own curry during the evening and then battle it out as a chef cooks up their creation and presents it to the judges. The curry king or queen is then crowned, whilst guests enjoy a three-course banquet and live entertainment throughout the evening.

Speaking about the event, returning judge Aktar Islam (front pic) comments: “Curry King of Birmingham is a date firmly fixed in my diary – not just any old black tie fundraiser, this is all about celebrating one of the world’s most exciting cuisines. I love that guests can really get stuck in and experiment with their own curry creations. We always end up with some impressive curries… and some not so appetising ones! But that’s all part of the fun.”

Adding to this, LoveBrum’s new executive director, Paul Mitchell, adds: “I can’t wait for my very first Curry King of Birmingham – what a great way to raise money for the charity! As well as celebrating the Brummie cuisine, this is an evening where we celebrate the work of LoveBrum and the projects we fund. The more money we make, the more people we can support around the city through our monthly funding rounds. Plus now, thanks to our National Lottery Funding, we’re able to provide financial support to each of our monthly causes, making this an even more impactful initiative.”

The money raised from LoveBrum’s annual fundraiser will help even more hidden gem projects showcased by the charity. Following the National Lottery funding, LoveBrum’s donation process now means that means all three of the monthly showcased causes receive funding. Following a public vote, the most popular receives £2,000, with the two remaining causes receiving £1,000 and £500 respectively.