Britain's best curry

It began life as a small neighbourhood restaurant, run by a 17-year-old Punjabi refugee who enlisted his mother to do the cooking.

Today, Madhu's in Southall seats 180 people and attracts gourmet diners from across London. And it has just beaten big names like Chutney Mary and The Bombay Brasserie to be named the UK's best Indian restaurant.

Madhu's has been singled out from a list of the 150 best Indian restaurants in the country by the Good Curry Guide, which holds its annual awards today.

Owner Sanjay Anand came to the UK from Nairobi in 1974, after his family's restaurant was seized by the Kenyan government.

He started from scratch in Southall, and his business now includes the restaurant, a nightclub and a hotel-catering firm that supplies the food for up to 200 Asian weddings each year.

Mr Anand said running a catering business didn't detract from the quality of the restaurant. "The wheels are so well-oiled now it almost runs itself, which means I've got time for my other businesses. But I'm there on a daily basis to supervise."

Mr Anand's chefs, trained at the Indian Hyatt hotels, have replaced his mother in the kitchen, although Sanjay's brother oversees the cooking.

And the menu still combines the family's Indian and east-African origins in dishes like nyamah choma - a Masai dish of lamb ribs marinated in chilli paste.

Among the Good Curry Guide's other winners are the Bombay Brasserie, which has now been cooking up curry in South Kensington for 21 years. It has been chosen by the guide's critics to receive a lifetime achievement gong.

Best Bangladeshi restaurant goes to west London newcomer Ginger, where chef Albert Gomes specialises in freshwater fish curries.