A SWINDON restaurant has made it on to the shortlist for the British Curry Awards 2006.

It is the second year in a row the Jewel In The Crown, in Victoria Road, has made it through to the top 100.

Now the staff are hoping to make it into the final 30.

The British Curry Awards honour the contribution and achievements of British Asian restaurateurs, who play a significant role in contributing to the nation's economy and wealth.

The event aims to find Britain's top 10 regional curry restaurants.

The second British Curry Award ceremony, sponsored by Lloyds TSB, takes place on Sunday, September 17 at The Grosvenor House Hotel, London.

Newsreader Alistair Stewart will be on hand to present the awards.

Today there are more than 10,000 Indian restaurants employing approximately 80,000 people and turning over £3.2bn a year.

The awards are open to all restaurants serving primarily Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, or modern fusion cuisine.

Last year, more than 2,800 restaurants were nominated by 13,000 members of the public This year the awards have received more than 20,000 public nominations.

Nominations were put forward from customers and an initial shortlist of 100 restaurants was drawn up.

From this list, 30 restaurants will be selected and evaluated by an independent panel of expert judges selected by Spice Business Magazine, and the top 10 restaurants will be announced at the awards evening.