Pub in tiny village near Milton Keynes houses the official best curry chef in Britain

Syed Islam cooks at The Bell in Beachampton, where there is a population of just 156 residents.

The pub houses an Indian restaurant section called Mowgli’s, which offers a dine-in or takeaway service.

Last week Syed shot the restaurant to fame by winning the Best Chef Category in the prestigious national Curry Life Awards, staged by Britain’s renowned curry magazine, Curry Life.

Abu Shohid, manager at Mowgli’ss@The Bell, said: “Syed has honed his skills from the many different people he has worked with.

“He previously worked in a restaurant in Bangladesh and decided to come to the UK because there are lots of opportunities to showcase Asian food and flavours.”

Abu added: “I’ve worked with him previously at other restaurants and he loves learning new techniques. He believes that food presentation - a little decor and small touches here and there are just as important as the taste.”

Curry Life Media Group Editor, Syed Belal Ahmed, said: “A major aim of the awards has always been to highlight best practice going on across the country – so that everyone has the opportunity to learn from the best - something that has always been a driving principle behind Curry Life itself.

“Over the many years we have been staging the awards, we have seen major improvements in standards and quality being offered to customers, to the point where several restaurants are now in a position to challenge for accolades such as Michelin stars.”

The awards event is an annual celebration of British curry houses, which have an annual turnover of over £4 billion.

Keynote speakers on the night included Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP. Other guests included GB News presenter Camilla Tominey – who hosted the event – as well as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rushanara Ali MP, Charlotte Nichols MP and Jade Botterill MP.

Rushanara Ali said: “The British curry industry has been absolutely vital - it has not only created opportunities for the British Asian community but also built a multi-billion pound industry. So it’s wonderful to see the industry going from strength to strength.”