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LONDON: Rising Pakistani culinary star Sunia Imran has taken the top award at the UK National Curry Week Cook-Off 2025, winning national recognition for her imagination, technical skills, and showcasing of traditional South Asian flavors.

The competition, which took place at London’s Covent Garden, featured six of Britain’s finest home cooks for a series of live cooking challenges. Organized as part of the UK’s annual National Curry Week—a celebration of the UK’s continued romance with curry since 1998—the competition was judged by MasterChef, The Great British Menu, and top UK restaurants’ celebrated chefs.

In five rounds, participants were put to test on their capacity to work with surprise ingredients, learn classic skills, and keep calm under stress. Sunia trounced right from the first round, winning four out of the five rounds before securing the national title in the final cook-off.

Judges praised her for achieving a rare balance between refinement and soul. “Sunia’s food expresses passion, heart and heritage,” judges said in their comment. “She infuses every dish with authenticity and adds her own creative spin. Her confidence, skill and consistency stood out from beginning to end.

As the winner of this year’s Cook-Off, Sunia was awarded a £1,000 prize that she gave to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London — a decision much applauded by spectators.

Professionally, Sunia is employed as a Senior IT Project Delivery Manager within a UK government department. Outside of her day job, she has established a very strong social media presence, posting colorful recipe videos and narratives honoring Pakistani home cooking and South Asian culinary heritage.

Talking to media following her victory, Sunia referred to the experience as being both “challenging and inspiring.” She added, “Cooking has always been about bringing people together and uniting families. Winning this award is an honor, but more than that, it’s a reminder of how food brings communities together.”

Reminding her origins, she went on to say, “As a kid growing up in Lahore, our house was always bursting with laughter and good food. My mother has been the biggest influence on me. Having family dinners was our way of sharing happiness, love and memories that last — that’s precisely what I attempt to do with my recipes today.”

The cook-off included Bombay pizza, grilled lemon chilli prawns, chicken jalfrezi, malai tikka, and Rajasthani laal maas — a tough line-up that testified to both creativity and cultural richness.

Sunia’s win was celebrated as a source of national pride for the Pakistani community in Britain and marked her as an emerging ambassador of authentic South Asian cuisine on the UK food stage.

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