Bradford's top curry chefs have the chance to prove they are the hottest in the land in a national cooking competition.

They will have the opportunity to compete against the country's best in the contest supported by the Telegraph & Argus.

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has organised this year's National Curry Chef of the Year competition, which originated in Bradford in 1992.

Bradford is one of 70 local authorities taking part, each running a district heat for the national event which will have a grand prize of £3,000.

Chefs at restaurants, hotels and pubs are being invited to enter the contest, which first involves sending in a recipe explaining the ingredients and method needed for a vegetable, meat or fish main dish, a complementary side dish and a bread or rice dish.

A spokesman for Catering Solutions in Bradford, which has helped to organise the regional heat, said: "This is the ultimate curry competition, the creme de la creme.

"We need good-quality restaurants and chefs to enter the competition to help get Bradford back on to the curry map.

"This is an opportunity to say that Bradford's here and that we have got lovely restaurants and good chefs. It will also provide good publicity for restaurants, chefs and the city."

Sandra Walbran, of the CIEH, said: "Entrants have to be working at a food business in the Bradford district but don't have to be from an Asian restaurant.

"We are not looking for people from a domestic setting. This is because of the hygiene assessments we will be carrying out on each premises.

"We also only want one applicant from each premises to submit an entry."

The recipe entries will then be shortlisted down to 12 after four independent judges have assessed the calibre of the entrants.

Environmental Health Officers will then visit each of the 12 establishments. There will be officers carrying out hygiene checks on the 12 entrants," explained Mrs Walbran. "There will be a hygiene and food safety element throughout the competition."

The shortlist will then be whittled down to six who will take part in a "cook-off" at Bradford College on June 27.

The winner will go forward to the northern regional final in Stockport on July 23, and the regional winner will have the chance to go for the title of National Curry Chef 2001 and pick up the £3,000 cash prize.

Mrs Walbran added: "The last heat held in Bradford was surprisingly way back in 1995.

"We hope that Bradford will be one of the best contenders nationally."

Richard Wixey, Director of Environmental Protection at Bradford Council, said: "We're proud to be supporting this competition and helping local businesses to show that they are the best in the country.

"We're working with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and the T&A to give the district's restaurants a chance to give us a taste of their wonderful curry recipes. But it also gives the Council's environmental health officers a chance to promote the good hygiene message to everyone working in the food area.

"I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun and one of our managers is looking forward to helping judge the cook-off and trying some of Bradford's finest curry."