The best kebab shops in the UK have been revealed following thousands of online votes from the public.
A final shortlist of the country’s most popular and cleanest places to buy a döner or şiş kebab has been published ahead of a glitzy awards ceremony at the Park Plaza Westminster hotel in London on Monday, 18 March.
Winners will be chosen from a range of categories, including the best kebab houses in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Several awards will be up for grabs for businesses based in the capital: Best Kebab Restaurant in North and West London; Best Kebab Restaurant in South and East London; and Best Takeaway in London.
Awards will also be handed out in the categories of Best Newcomer Restaurant, Best Regional Takeaway, Best Value Restaurant, Customer Satisfaction, and Fine Dining.
The night will see a new “Chef of the Year” crowned, along with the “Kebab Van of the Year” and an award for the best kebab supplier. Event sponsors Just Eat will give out an award for “Best Delivery”.
The full list of nominees can be found here.
İbrahim Doğuş, founder of the British Kebab Awards, said the awards are “about applauding the contribution made to Britain by the kebab industry, recognising excellence, and affirming the kebab’s place as the nation’s favourite food”.
Graham Corfield, UK Managing Director of awards sponsor Just Eat, said: “There are so many brilliant finalists this year, all of which have been nominated due to their significant contribution to the industry.
“It’s incredibly important to celebrate the thousands of kebab restaurants across the UK and we’re delighted that we’re able to sponsor the British Kebab Awards for another year.”
The shortlisted businesses were chosen based on the number of “points” accumulated. Every vote from a member of the public received via the awards website was worth two points, with “bonus points” for an endorsement by an MP, mayor or local councillor. Further points were also allocated based on Food Standard Agency ratings.
A panel of judges will select the winners by conducting “discreet visits” and undertaking a “variety of enquiries regarding the nominated business”.
Now in its seventh year, the British Kebab Awards were first held in 2013 and have become the showcase event for the industry, which organisers say is worth £2.2 billion a year.
Each year, the awards ceremony brings together a wide array of people including media, politicians and the odd celebrity, including Radio 1 DJs Scott Mills and Chris Stark, who have been officiating proceedings.
Those wishing to attend this year’s event can buy tickets online.
Main photo: Stoke Newington’s Best Turkish Kebab owners & brothers Ismail (right) and Mustafa Demir (left) with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, after winning at the British Kebab Awards in 2015
