Aroma Asian Restaurant owner Abdul Majeed presented with lifetime achievement honour at English Curry Awards

Abdul Majeed, who runs Aroma Asian Restaurant in Church Street, Burnley, said he was ‘in complete shock’ after being presented with the prestigious accolade during a glittering ceremony in Birmingham.

And the celebrations didn’t stop there, with the popular restaurant also scooping the North West Customer Experience of the Year Award on the night.

“I honestly couldn’t be happier,” he said. “I had no idea [about the Lifetime Achievement Award]. I went with my two sons and my brother-in-law who’s the chef, and when they said, ‘The next category is the Lifetime Achievement Award’, we were listening, but not really paying too much attention. When they said, ‘Mr Abdul Majeed from Aroma Asian Restaurant in Burnley’, we were just all sat there looking at each other in disbelief. I was so confused, and excited; I just couldn’t believe it.

"It’s a huge achievement, and a wonderful honour. I feel so privileged. It’s not just me though, this is down to the hard work and dedication of my whole team.”

Mr Majeed is synonymous with dining out in Burnley. It wasn’t long after arriving in the town in 1979, aged just 21, he opened his first restaurant, the Koh-i-Noor in Manchester Road. Eight years later, he opened Shalamar Tandoor restaurant in Church Street, which went on to be renamed Aroma following an extensive refurbishment in 2007.

"When I came to Burnley, I was new in the town, new in the trade. You can imagine how things were at that time; how people’s attitudes were towards curry houses then. There was a communication gap, and a lack of knowledge about our cuisine, our lifestyle, our traditions, our customs. Eventually though, our relationship, our bond, built up and became stronger over time. Gradually, people began to realise that curries weren’t something to enjoy after a few beers, it’s something to enjoy even more when you go sober. It’s been a slow, but very successful process. And even though those early years were bumpy, people’s love and support since then has been overwhelming, absolutely tremendous. I feel like I am part of a very large family here in Burnley. That’s what has kept me going all these years. I can’t thank them all enough.”

And even after being recognised for a lifetime of commitment to his industry and the town, Mr Majeed has no plans to retire."Oh I’m not going anywhere. As long as my health allows, I will continue, because I love what I do so much.”