Port Blair, Feb 05: The British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata in collaboration with IIHM(International Institute of Hotel Management) hosted the GREATINDO-BRITISH TASTE CHALLENGE at IIHM Global Campus in Sector V,Kolkata today.
The market size, measured by revenue, of the full-service restaurantsindustry in the UK is £19.9bn in 2023. The market size, measured byrevenue, of the chocolate & confectionery production industry in the UK is £3.9bn in 2023. UK presents a great opportunity for Indiancompanies in these sectors especially with consumer confidencereturning to pre-pandemic levels.
The jury board – Shaun Kenworthy, Gary Maclean and Manjunath Mural -comprising of esteemed chefs from India and the UK, challenged theparticipants to come up with showstopper food presentations. Thecontestants cooked up dishes popular in both countries, with a fusionof Indian and British flavors.
Eight different food service brands from Kolkata participated in theculinary challenge. The Winners and Runners Up of the GREATINDO-BRITISH TASTE CHALLENGE would be announced at the Young Chef’sOlympiad hosted by IIHM this evening.
Mr. Nick Lowe, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and NortheastIndia said: “I’ve been looking forward to the GREAT British TasteChallenge for weeks. Local chefs will do their take on some classicBritish dishes at Kolkata’s International Institute of HotelManagement. Food and drink have a very special place in our past andpresent ties – after all chicken tikka masala is the United Kingdom’snational dish. It’s part of our GREAT British Season in East andNortheast India in which we celebrate many of the glories that linkIndia and the United Kingdom.”
Dr. Suborno Bose, Chairman, IIHM said: “IIHM is extremely proud to beassociated with the GREAT Indo-British Taste Challenge. This is aone-of-its kind culinary competition happening in Kolkata for thefirst time – a great initiative by the British Deputy High CommissionKolkata. Gladly, the judges for this competition are some of thegreatest Michelin Star chefs who have traveled from across the worldto judge the Young Chef Olympiad – the world’s largest culinaryOlympiad organized by IIHM. As an innovative contest under the aegisof the British Deputy High Commission, the GREAT Indo-British TasteChallenge is the harbinger of many such events in the near futurewhere Indian and British cultures will mingle and innovate to open thepathway to more cultural, culinary and business collaborations.”
Chef Gary Maclean said: “Fantastic to see local chefs embracingBritish food using traditional techniques and local produce. Any ofthe teams could have won and it was a difficult decision to make. Itasted a little bit of home in every dish. Fantastic chefs cookingwith passion and flair.
