A FAMILY run Indian restaurant in Hamilton is hoping to top an amazing 2017 by winning the Best Takeaway in Scotland for the second year in a row.

The staff of the independently run Mushtaqs restaurant and takeaway are encouraging the local community to nominate them and other takeaways in Scotland for the British Takeaway Awards 2017, which is now open for votes.

Mushtaqs launched in 2009 and has since firmly mapped itself on Hamilton’s food scene. The restaurant only offers 10 dishes on its menu as the limited selection enables stringent quality control to be carried out on every meal. The cooking technique is traditional and, despite having a state of the art kitchen, the chefs still cook using charcoal tandoors with all curries pot-cooked using traditional methods.

They guarantee food will be delivered in up to 29 minutes and have hosted a number of high profile guests including Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge, who visited Mushtaqs to learn the secret behind a good curry.

The Almada Street eatery beat thousands of other takeaways to scoop the prize for Best Takeaway in Scotland last year. BTAs judges, which included Ainsley Harriott and Dragon’s Den’s Sarah Willingham, were impressed by the quality of the food, impressive growth of the business and Mushtaq’s charitable spirit - in particular their support for local community through their Youth Employment Programme, which helps young people learn valuable workplace skills.

Glasgow Times:

Photo credit: Mushtaqs

Owner and chef Ajmal Mushtaq said: "Winning the title for Best Takeaway in Scotland twice would top an amazing 2017.

“It would mean so much to the team to be recognised at the highest level once again, as none of this would have been possible without them.

“Following the award win, it was lovely to see our regulars come in to congratulate us and remark on how proud they are of what we’ve achieved for the local community. We also now have regular customers visiting from over 70 miles away to taste our award winning Chicken Tikka Lassani.”

The win has had a huge impact on business, most notably a steep rise in demand for home deliveries, which has led to additional staff being hired to meet demand.

The restaurant started with six employees in 2009 and the team has grown to 68 people, with 95 per cent of employees coming from the local area.

The restaurant pays above the minimum wage, pays bonuses and offers a training programme to give staff the opportunity to grow within the business.

The British Takeaway Awards The British Takeaway Awards aim to recognise and reward the dedication of local takeaway owners. For the third year running, the Awards will celebrate the diverse range of cuisines and the amazing contribution a nation of High Street heroes make to local communities.

The British Takeaway Awards 2017 are run in association with Just Eat, a leading global marketplace for online food delivery. Members of the public have until midnight on October 1 2017 to nominate their favourite local takeaways.

The five takeaways in each region that receive the most votes will make it to the star-studded awards ceremony.

The British Takeaway Awards 2017 will take place on Monday, November 27 at The Savoy in London

To vote for your favourite local takeaway visit: www.thebtas.co.uk.