Curry has been one of Britain’s most loved foods since the 1940s. Currently it is a huge industry generating over £4.1 billion for the economy with over 15,000 outlets in the UK from big cities to the smallest of villages. Yet the industry is struggling to survive weighed down by staff shortages, immigration laws, competition from other cuisines, lack of innovative healthy and vegetarian menu choices as well as trying to cope with emerging and new technologies which is revolutionising the way customers order food.
In response to the national curry crisis , a Bangladeshi Community TV Channel has set up a media platform entitled ‘Catering Circle’ in a move to bring together the business owners of the curry industry and seek about addressing the issues they are facing. Up to 600 curry house owners from all over the UK will come together on Tuesday February 9th at the Meridan Grand, Advent Way, London, N18 3AF from 6pm to 11pm discuss, debate, share, learn and find solutions to the current crisis. Up to 90% of the curry houses in the UK are owned by Sylheti people- originating from Bangladesh and Channel S is a popular community TV station which is bringing the regional and national caterers together on one media platform. In a nutshell, this was the information given to the media and journalist by the Catering Circle authority in a press conference held in a hotel in East London on Monday 25th January.
Ahmed Us-Samad Chowdhury, Chief Advisor to the Catering Circle, Chairman of Channel S TV delivered the welcoming speech and answered the questions from journalists and Vice-Chairman Md Abdul Haque delivered the closing speech.
Marketing and Brand Director of Catering Circle Towhid Shakil read out the press the release to the journalists. Along with other journalists and caterers, guests who were present in the press conference included G M of Purple Eye Technology Belal Hossain, Managing Director of Chef Online M A Munim Salik, CEO of Barclay and Wharf Terry Briame, Group Director Sedrik Selvodorai and MD Abdul Haque Habib of London Training Centre. Altaf Hossain, Helal Malik, Ruhul Shamsuddin, Farhad Hossain Tipu, Oli Rahman and Javed Chowdhury were present at the press conference representing Catering Circle.
Ahmed Us-Samad Chowdhury, Chief Advisor to the Catering Circle, Chairman of Channel S TV says:
“Our forefathers came from Bangladesh in the late 1960s and were originally washing up dishes in the British chippies….it is from that we have grown to open our own businesses and make Curry- Britain’s most loved food. The London event will see a culmination of all our efforts and discussions and the TV show that will follow will be a 13 episode live show where we will focus on finding solutions. With the power of the media and our audience we will be able to reach out to the widest Bengali community ever and if the Catering Circle and Channel S don’t take this initiative – no other mainstream channel will. We need to work as a community and together we can remain strong.”
The show called ‘Catering Circle’ is due to be broadcast on 22nd March 2016 on Channel S (Sky 814).