‘Offer help or you’ll lose us': Northampton curry house owner calls on government for support amid rising costs

A Northampton curry house owner has voiced concerns about a “perfect storm” of price increases and called on the government to offer more support.

Naz Islam has run Saffron, in Castilian Street, for 20 years but is now having to battle an “unsustainable” £16,000-a-year rise in gas, electricity and ingredient prices.

The businessman has called for more help from the government in the form of VAT and council tax cuts, as well as business rates relief.

He said: “Everything is going up, from gas to garam masala, it’s the perfect storm.

“Last year we were paying £20 for a 20 litre container of vegetable oil, this week I paid £45.

“Rice is going up, poultry and lamb are more expensive than ever – it’s becoming a nightmare.

“We are committed to keeping our prices the same for at least the next six months.

“We don’t think our customers should pay any more, their bills at home are going through the roof as it is, they don’t want to have to pay more for their chicken tikka masala as well.

“The reality is we can’t sustain that forever though, something has got to give.

“Unless costs come under control, hundreds of curry restaurants like ours will go under, thousands of jobs will be lost. The government needs to act now before it’s too late.”

According to trade magazine Spice Business, electricity bills for the 8,000 Indian restaurants in the UK are up £640 to £960, from £400 to £600 last year.

Meanwhile, the cost of curry house staple mango chutney has skyrocketed 39 per cent from 95p to £1.32 in recent months, while cardamom is up from £25 to £32 per kilo.

The price of a kilo of fresh chicken has also jumped from £2.90 to £3.80, and a 25kg sack of onions is now £1 more at £8.75.

Naz started working in a curry house kitchen aged 16 and fell in love with the industry, saving up enough money to buy his own restaurant.

Saffron has gone on to win multiple awards and was named World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year at last year’s Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.