Curry Cook-Off returns for National Curry Week with six influencers cooking for charity

A second series of The Curry Cook-Off will be released online during National Curry Week, this October, with six influencers competing for a £1,000 donation to a charity chosen by the epicurial winner.

The series is hosted by broadcaster and Kingfisher brand ambassador Tommy Sandhu, who fronted last year’s edition, alongside comedian and actor Richard Blackwood. Episodes will be free to watch with no booking or registration required, and will be released daily across the seven days, culminating in a finale that will crown a champion.

Rather than confining itself to one culinary tradition, the competition moves through a different cuisine in each round, with a specialist chef judging each one. Praveen Kumar, founder of Tabla, judges the Indian round, in which contestants tackle his Railway Lamb Curry. Kumar trained in kitchens including Gleneagles and Turnberry, and the restaurant he opened with his wife Swarna in Perth in 2009 became the first Indian restaurant in Scotland to receive an AA Rosette. Private chef Tony Tsang, founder of Desk Gourmet, judges a Japanese katsu curry round, while Lalita of Lali by Lalita takes on the Thai green curry round. Tomario, owner of Chin’s Kitchen, judges a Jamaican round built around a Shrimp Coconut Curry. The pan-Asian final is judged by Theo Fox, co-founder of The Chilli Trail, and carries an element of chance: the two remaining contestants each spin a wheel to determine which part of Asia – and which style of curry – they will be cooking.

The £1,000 donation is the only prize going, and it’s paid directly to the winner’s nominated charity, so the competitors really are performing a labour of love. In the line-up includes Benjamin O (@benwhippedthisup), who cooks comfort-food favourites and has chosen Ace of Clubs, the Clapham homeless charity as his beneficiary. Callum Doyle (@calcookzz) prepares dishes from across Africa, this October for national mental health charity Mind. Lylaa Ali Shaikh (@saltandshaikh) is a food reviewer who is competing for YoungMinds and children’s mental health and wellbeing. Niken Patel, also known as Hungry Olive The Thyme (@hungryolivethethyme), brings Indian food and comedy, with support for blood cancer charity Myeloma UK. Actress and foodie Anoushka Chadha (@anoushkachadha) is cooking up a storm for Prostate Cancer UK. Finally, The Tech Fleece Chef (@thetechfleecechef), who does exactly what his moniker suggests, is doing his thing for the Campaign Against Living Miserably, an organisation that works to prevent suicide.

National Curry Week is an annual campaign run by Kingfisher Drinks, aiming to support the restaurants, chefs and communities behind one of the country’s most popular cuisines. Bradley Deacons, a marketing executive for the brand, explained that this year they are particularly keen to shine a light on independent eateries, adding that the cook-off “gives us a fun and accessible way of getting that message in front of a wider audience while also raising money for a good cause”.

Food Desk

National Curry Week takes place from 5^th until 11^th October 2026. For further information, venues and recipe ideas, visit the organisation’s website here.

New episodes of The Curry Cook-Off will be released online daily via the show’s website here.