Britain's curry 'is in a crisis'

Chicken Tikka Masala may have been hailed as Britian's favourite dish but curry in the UK is now under threat, restaurateurs and take away owners are claiming.

They say they are struggling to find Bangladeshi chefs to work in their establishments, blaming a change in immigration rules since the EU expanded and eastern Europeans flooded the labour market.

And the cost of rice - a staple ingredient for a good curry - is soaring. The price on world markets is up by 60 per cent on last year and producers such as India, China and Vietnam are restricting exports.

Keith Best from the Immigration Advisory Services says prices in curry houses are bound to rise. He said: "For many low-income families the only chance they have of eating out is to go for a curry."

"If you are a restaurant owner and you are buying a lot of rice you either reduce your margins or you put your prices up."

Mr Best added the Government had mistakenly assumed that vacancies in the curry industry would be filled by Eastern Europeans. But he said they have "no cultural sensitivity towards or understanding of the curry industry".

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