Owner of Hannan's Spicy Cuisine wins Chef of the Year Award

A chef has scooped a top award for cooking up delicious dishes at his Rutland restaurant.

Abdul Hannan, who runs Hannan’s Spicy Cuisine takeaway in Uppingham, was shortlisted in the Chef of the Year Award held by the Bangladesh Caterers’ Association at a glittering event at the O2 in London.

Abdul, pictured, won the Midlands title after impressing the judges during a ‘cook off’ competition, and attended the awards ceremony with his family, including his five daughters.

He said: “I was encouraged to take part in the competition by my good friend Professor Parvez Haris from the School of Allied Health Sciences at De Montfort University in Leicester.

“It’s not something I had done before and I was quite emotional when my name was announced as a winner.”

Abdul, a chef of 30 years, worked in Scotland, London and Leicester before setting up his family business in Ayston Road, Uppingham, four years ago.

He now employs four members of staff and says he would like to expand the business to set up a small restaurant for his customers.

“We have very loyal customers who keep coming back to us,” he added.