SALFORD'S environmental services chiefs are warming up in their search to find this year's local Curry Chef 2002.

Salford's winner will go on to enter in the national competition to become the Charted Institute of Environmental Health National Curry Chef.

The prestigious title now attracts chefs from all over the country and this year the winner of the national title will be awarded £3,000.

The competition started out in Bradford in 1992 as a way to improve the relationship between the environmental health department and the Asian restaurant proprietors and has been nationwide since 1996.

The aims of the competition are to improve the standards of food hygiene, promote culinary excellence and build positive relationships with chefs and restaurateurs.

The whole competition is split into three elements. Firstly a local competition open to premises in Salford on the 12 July, which will take place at Salford University's School of Leisure and Hospitality Management.

Then a regional competition will take place before 30 August and the national final on 10 September.

Chefs will have to prepare a main curry dish, complementary side dish and bread or rice dish to be judged by a panel.

The judging panel will also include an environmental health officer to score the premises on hygiene taking into account:

Temperature control and hazard awareness;

Storage and cross contamination;

Cleaning and structure;

Personal hygiene facilities.

Last year Steven Saunders and the Salford Reds judged Salford's competition and the winner was Silu Miah of Balti Nights in Swinton.

Anyone wanting to enter the competition should contact Diane Watkin on 0161 793 2053, or Marianne Rolfe on 0161 793 2066.