CHEF Indunil Upatissa's cooked up a storm at the pub industry's Oscars.

The 39-year-old sous chef at The Noel Arms Hotel in Chipping Campden has helped put the popular spot on the map for its culinary dishes. Now Indunil has won Curry Chef of the Year at the Great British Pub Food Awards 2010.

The first time the category has run at the prestigious gongs, the judges were bowled over by his Sri Lankan black lamb curry with pilau rice.

The panel said: "Once again, the standard of entries to this competition has been extremely high, but this was an outstanding dish. Indunil is clearly a very talented and creative chef."

A nail-biting cook-off against other curry chefs last month saw the sous chef having to come up with a dish within 75 minutes under pressure, but it was all in a day's work.

He said: "I've always enjoyed cooking and started when I was 18 back home in Sri Lanka. I like the creative side of it, but winning something like this has been amazing.

"Cooking is a real passion for me and this makes it all worth it."

The chef, who originates from Sri Lanka, has cooked in kitchens across the world, including the Maldives and Dubai, and admits being influenced by all the cuisines he has cooked through the years.

"I came to Gloucestershire five years ago to join the head chef I worked with in the Maldives," he said.

"I love curry and I love using fresh ingredients. I would never want to buy a curry sauce from a jar because that's just not what a good curry is all about.

"I don't have a favourite dish myself. That's what I like about curry – there's such a variety of flavours and techniques you can use."

After presenting Indunil with his winner's trophy, Jo Bruce, food editor of pub industry 'bible' the Morning Advertiser, which runs the awards, said: "As the recession has bitten deep over the past year, food has been a lifeline for many pubs.

"Those serving tasty, good quality and value-for-money food have continued to do well, despite the overall decline in pub customers.

"The good news is that many of the 'credit crunch' customers who traded down from restaurant dining have been so impressed by the standard of food in pubs that they'll continue to eat in them post-recession. For pubs that get their food right, the future looks bright."

The Great British Pub Food Awards – formerly the PubChef Food Excellence Awards – are in their sixth year and attract hundreds of entries from talented chefs nationwide.