TALENTED Ibrahim Ali said the secret of his award-winning curries was to treat them like a woman...with lots of tender, loving care.

And Ibrahim has revealed the unique recipe which won him the prestigious title of Burnley's Curry King Champion.

An official presentation was made to the three finalists Ibrahim Ali and Mingur Lama of the Usher Indian Restaurant, Rossendale Road, and Bashir Ali, of Ali's Kitchen, Colne Road, by the Mayor of Burnley Lillian Clark.

The annual competition was started in Bradford in 1992 but was run locally this year after being sponsored by the Food Standards Agency and the Chartered Institute of the Environmental Health.

The trio had to satisfy the hygiene judge that they had a good understanding, knowledge and practical application of food, workplace hygiene and food safety practice to pass the first hurdle.

Ibrahim, 27, said: "There are lots of secrets to creating the perfect curry but one technique is to treat it with tender loving care and take time to cook the meat.

"I learnt my cooking skills from my older brother Jaifor who is a superb cook, he taught me the art to creating a fine curry.

"I am delighted to win the accolade which will be displayed with pride in the Usha restaurant."

Julie Cockell, of Burnley's environmental health and cleansing services department, said: "The panel of judges were extremely impressed by all the high quality dishes. "There were just two points between the winner and runner-up which shows just how high the standard was."

They were were asked to prepare three dishes and they were assessed on the appearance, aroma, texture and taste of each dish.

Julie added: "The judges, after having tasted some of the most delicious, aromatic Asian cuisine, came to a final decision, after much deliberation and Ibrahim was eventually chosen, even though it was such a close call."

Ibrahim will now go on to represent Burnley in the Regional Finals to be held in Manchester in October.