Hafsa Noor
ON 7TH SEPTEMBER 2026, chefs from 15 regions across the UK gathered at Cambridge Regional College for the ARTA National Chef of the Year Cook-Off, competing for the coveted title of best chef.
The event was about more than winning a cooking competition. It also brought into focus important questions about the future of the UK’s Bangladeshi curry industry. Where is the industry heading? How can the next generation be encouraged to enter the profession? And how can traditional Bangladeshi cuisine be preserved while creating new flavours and markets?
Alongside the competition, the event provided an opportunity to discuss the current state of the curry industry, innovation in food, the preservation of Bangladeshi culinary heritage and ways of attracting younger generations to the restaurant business.
A veteran chef with four decades of experience Representing Northern Ireland was experienced restaurant owner and chef Abdur Rob, who has been involved in the culinary profession since 1983. With around 43 years of experience in the industry, this was his first time taking part in the ARTA chef competition.
His first dish in the competition was Paya Ke Prawn, a mild starter. His approach to cooking focuses on balancing mild flavours with elements of sweetness and heat. He explained that many customers prefer milder flavours, so he tries to introduce them to a wider range of tastes gradually, beginning with mild dishes before encouraging them to explore more diverse flavours.
Bringing greater variety to fish dishes While meat and chicken dishes traditionally dominate the menus of Bangladeshi restaurants, Abdur Rob is also experimenting with ways to introduce greater variety to fish dishes. His restaurant, Bangla, offers dishes including sea bass, tandoori salmon, salmon bhuna and monkfish. He considers monkfish particularly suitable for curry because its white flesh and relatively mild flavour complement curry sauces well. Tilapia is also fried and served with a bhuna sauce, reflecting his efforts to adapt Bangladeshi flavours to the tastes of local customers.
Among the popular dishes at his restaurant are Honey Morog Chicken and his own Chicken Hotpot. Honey Morog Chicken combines sweetness with a gentle level of heat, while the Chicken Hotpot is prepared using signature spices and green chillies. Bangla has already received two restaurant awards, while this year marked his first participation in the ARTA chef competition.
Traditional cuisine and the potential for new markets Looking ahead, Abdur Rob says that, alongside maintaining high standards in restaurant management, one of his key ambitions is to introduce new dishes to the market. In particular, he sees significant potential in bringing Bangladesh’s Nawabi and Shahi culinary traditions into the modern restaurant environment.
He believes that traditional dishes could appeal to British customers if they are presented and marketed in a contemporary way. Once customers discover and enjoy these dishes, they are often willing to recommend them to others and encourage them to give them a try. Abdur Rob believes this word-of-mouth approach can help create new markets for traditional Bangladeshi cuisine.
A call to expand ARTA across the UK Abdur Rob also shared his hopes for the future of ARTA. In his view, the competition should retain its current standards while expanding its reach across the UK. Rather than remaining London-focused, he suggested organising regional competitions and seminars in areas such as Manchester, Scotland and other parts of the UK.
Chefs and restaurants selected through these regional events could then progress to a national-level competition. He believes this would raise the overall standard of the competition while giving talented chefs from across the country greater opportunities to showcase their skills.
Ultimately, ARTA 2026 demonstrated that a chef competition can be about much more than awards. It can also provide a platform for discussing how the UK’s Bangladeshi curry industry can preserve its heritage, embrace innovation and remain relevant for future generations.