EATING OUT: Curry still flavour of the week

Half a century may have passed since the sun set on British rule in India, but curry remains as popular as ever in Britain.

According to survey yesterday, an astonishing 205 million poppadoms - along with 111 million pints of beer - are consumed in Indian restaurants in Britain each year, the report said.

The survey of Britain's 8,000 curry houses found that 2.5 million adults enjoy a taste of India every week.

The survey's co-ordinator, Iqbal Wahhab, editor of Tandoori magazine, said of the findings: "I didn't realise the complete magnitude of this. The public just can't seem to get enough of Indian food." There are more Indian restaurants in Greater London than in Bombay and New Delhi combined.