The cream of Bradford’s restaurant industry enjoyed a slap-up Indian meal to celebrate the city’s official title of Curry Capital of Great Britain.

Bradford took the crown for the first time since 2004, beating four-times winner and title holder Glasgow into second place.

Bradford “thrashed” its fierce rivals with a “tremendous effort”, said judge and event organiser Peter Grove.

He had travelled from London with a delegation of Asian food experts to Aagrah’s Saltaire Suite in Saltaire Road, for the official presentation – and a plate full of delicious curry.

Mr Grove said: “The public who voted were great and the Council’s submission was brilliant. Bradford showed it cared so much for curry and that’s why it won.”

Anjali Pathak from curry sauce empire Patak’s handed over a trophy to Patricia Tillotson, Bradford Council’s visitor economy manager who co-ordinated the curry capital bid.

She then gave shields to representatives from each of the four restaurants which made up the Bradford team – Shimla Spice, Aagrah, Prashad and Kipling’s.

Between them, they polled 89,000 online votes, twice crashing the official website.

Shimla Spice won another award for the most votes polled of any restaurant in the country.

Manager Faisal Hussain said: “This year, we all put a lot of effort in and worked together. That is how we have come out on top.”

Mohammed Rafiq, manager for Kiplings said the curry capital award was “long overdue”.

“Bradford has about 250 Indian restaurants, so the quality of the food and service has to be very high. Now Bradford has really stamped its authority on the curry world.”

Arshad Mahmood, director of Aagrah, said: “It is great to achieve this honour and we are really proud to have won.”

Imran Shaukat, Prashad manager, said the panel of 13 judges who made the final decision had also taken into account educational work within the Asian restaurant sector which includes the International Food Academy.

“We have all been working very hard for this and that hard work has paid off,” he added.