Barnet colourful food palate remains well-represented as the race to find the best British takeaway in North London heats up.

The British Takeaway Awards (BTAs) have revealed the 2016 finalists for Best British Takeaway in North London.  

Afghan place Kabul City, in Edgware, joins New Barnet’s Pumpkin Rice Jerk Grill, which was a 2015 finalist, in this year’s final five.

Kabul City, one of the first Afghan takeaways in London, was selected for its “focus on the natural taste and flavour of its ingredients”.

Owner Abduallah Mojadiddy said: “We have fought hard to keep the food quality and customer satisfaction levels high despite working very long hours, seven nights a week with little sleep.

“We are so happy to have made the finals, it really is a brilliant feeling to know our customers are enjoy our food and our hard work was worth it.”

Traditional Jamaican cuisine can be found at Pumpkin Rice, while the owners also do charity work in New Barnet supporting the shoebox appeal in Ghana and helping pay for a medical student to go on placement in Tanzania.

Chef and co-owner Carlington Clarke said: “We are delighted to be a finalist for the British Takeaway Awards.

“We have a very loyal customer base and I cannot thank them enough for getting us to the final.”

Five different cuisine types including Afghan, Caribbean and Japanese were voted on to the list, making North London the only region involved in the British Takeaway Awards to vote for different styles. 

The BTAs, run in association with online food delivery app Just Eat, will throw a star-studded national awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Rob Brydon on December 5 at The Savoy.

In total over 110,000 members of the public voted in the BTAs.

A panel of judges, including celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott and Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham, will review the finalists and identify the 13 regional winners from around the UK and the overall victor.

UK managing director of Just Eat Graham Corfield said: “These finalists clearly have the loyal support of their customers, who have voted in their thousands to get them into the top five takeaways in North London. 

“What is common among all the finalists is they produce fantastic food, deliver great customer service and play a vital role at the heart of their community.”

Each of the 13 regional winners will receive £1,000 but one of the 13 will be extra lucky as they will win the award for Best British Takeaway in Britain and also receive a cheque for £5,000.