Fakeaway recipes in Leicester

Leicester is one of the UK's curry capitals. Belgrave Road (locally called "The Golden Mile") has 70+ Indian restaurants in a single street — the strongest concentration of Indian food in the East Midlands and one of the strongest in the country. Some have been serving the same dishes for 30+ years.

The Leicester curry scene is distinct from Birmingham, Glasgow or London — it's Punjabi-dominant, with rich masala, karahi, and tandoor cooking. Restaurants like Sharmans, The Grand Taj, HotBox, Everest Lounge, and the legendary The Everest are local institutions. Mosh Gelato for dessert if you want somewhere unusual.

Leicester also has a strong Bangladeshi community and Bengali restaurant scene, mostly clustered around the St Matthews area. The hand-pulled naan bread is the local speciality — bigger and thinner than the standard naan, often cooked in a tandoor.

For chains: McDonald's, KFC, Subway, Nando's. Pizza Hut and Domino's. Greggs is everywhere. The local chain is Balti Central (an in-house brand from one of the original restaurants).

The Leicester signature dish: chicken/lamb tikka masala (with thick masala, not the thinner London style), and the karahi. Both are in the canon.