The British Takeaway Awards (BTAs), in association with Just Eat, last night crowned a family-run fried chicken shop in Luton as the Best Takeaway in Britain.
Chicken George, who were a regional winner last year, went one better in 2016 and received the most coveted trophy in the takeaway industry last night at the star-studded national awards ceremony, beating off over 26,000 other takeaway restaurants.
The BTAs - which are run in association with Just Eat (www.just-eat.co.uk), the world’s leading marketplace for online food delivery – celebrate the nation’s diverse range of takeaway cuisines and reward the amazing contribution takeaway owners and their staff make to both their local communities and the British economy.
The Awards, which took place at The Savoy in London on Monday night, were hosted by comedian Rob Brydon. Another celebrities in attendance included Ainsley Harriott, Sarah Willingham, Donna Air, Denise Van Outen, Ferne McCann, Jess Wright, Ben Cohen, Gregg Wallace, Lydia Bright and Rachel Stevens. But the real stars of the evening were the best of Britain’s takeaway restaurants, chefs and delivery drivers who represented communities across the UK.
Overall winner, Chicken George, was founded by ex-KFC employee Ray Cheah over 30 years ago and was one of the first independent fried chicken shops in Luton. Today, it’s headed up by Ray’s daughter Su Cheah. The eatery in Hitchin Road, Luton, beat thousands of other outlets across Britain to scoop not only the top award but £6k in prize money to support the family-run business.
A panel of judges, including celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and businesswoman and star of BBC2 Dragon’s Den, Sarah Willingham, ultimately crowned Chicken George as the standout due to their dedication to sourcing local ingredients and consistently delivering customers fresh, exceptional food.
The judges were impressed by the local business’ strong sense of community spirit, including supporting local sports teams, donating surplus food to a homeless charity and providing pensioners with free chicken after their monthly bingo session.
The judges also commended Chicken George’s staff development and investment in their business that has seen 55% growth in 2016.
Graham Corfield, UK Managing Director of Just Eat and chair of the judging panel, said: “The standard of entries in this year’s British Takeaway Awards was exceptional, but one restaurant embodied everything the BTAs are about.
'Chicken George is a traditional family business that’s been in the community for many years and really resonates with its customers. It’s constantly innovating with fantastic food, focuses on developing and rewarding staff and gives the customer a great experience time and time again. It was a tough choice but they are a worthy winner.”
Fellow BTAs judge Ainsley Harriott said: “When you start looking at all the various takeaways nominated across the country you think, hold on they’re all brilliant, but there can only be one winner.
'So, it’s important to consider what they’re doing to help the wider community, if they’re training and supporting staff and if they’re invested in growing their business. Chicken George is a true standout on all these fronts - not to mention that their food is delicious!”
In total, 16 awards were presented at the BTAs. Each of the 13 regional winners received £1,000 and free sign up to Just Eat, or their sign-up fee returned if they are already a partner. But Chicken George was extra lucky as they also won the coveted award for Best British Takeaway in Britain and received a cheque for an additional £5,000. There were also, for the first time, awards for Takeaway Chef and Delivery Driver of the Year.
The five takeaways in each region that received the most nominations across two public voting periods made it to the BTAs. In total over 110,000 members of the public voted in the BTAs. To determine the winner, each of the finalists were marked on a mystery shopping experience, and provided a submission on why they deserved to win. The judging panel had the final say on the winners.
For the full list of winners go to Awards Winners in the right hand column on this homepage.
The awards ceremony welcomed 300 guests including takeaway owners from around the country. They enjoyed a three course meal of a Montgomery cheddar cheese soufflé, thyme marinated beef fillet with pumpkin and sage risotto and a dark chocolate melting sphere with mascarpone sabayon.
Picture: Judges Sarah Willingham and Ainsley Harriot with Takeaway of the Year winners, Chicken Gerorge.
