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The UK’s kofte kings were pita’d against each other today as British Kebab Awards 2018 finalists were unveiled after a record number of nominations.

Kebab businesses in every corner of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are battling for gongs in 16 categories from Best Kebab Van to Best Newcomer and Chef of the Year ahead of the sixth annual awards ceremony on Monday, March 12, in London.

Members of the public nominated 5,012 of their favourite kebab shops. These were whittled down to a shortlist of 153 based on the number of public votes received with bonus points for nominations from MPs and councillors.

In the hotly contested Chef of the Year category, Besnik Hajdari of Javits Takeaway in Edinburgh is aiming for the double after the restaurant won 2015’s Best Kebab in Scotland award.

But he faces stiff competition from last year’s winner, Mazlum Demir from Skewd Kitchen, in Barnet, North London and Haci Akdogan of Haz Restaurant in London’s Square Mile who triumphed in the best chef category in 2015.

Last year’s Northern Irish winner - Sphinx in Glengormley, County Antrim - is up against five other finalists including its sister restaurant in Belfast - itself a two-time champion.

Here's the full list of finalists

Chef of the Year

Besnik Hajdari /Javit's, Gilmerton, Edinburgh

Aziz Gezer / Uni Kebab, Southampton

Bektas Avci / Merhaba, Cambridge

Emrullah Sasmaz /Abra Kebabra, Croydon

Bulent Demir / Misya Meze & Grill, Old Town, Stevenage

Erhan Karakoc/Istanblue, Royton, Oldham

Haci Akdogan / Haz Restaurant, City, London

Ali Dirik / Mangal 2 Restaurant, Stoke Newington, London

Ali Cicek / Cyprus Mangal, Pimlico, London

Mazlum Demir / Skewd Kitchen, Barnet, London

Best Customer Satisfaction

Uni Kebab, Southampton

Arabica Bar & Kitchen, Borough Market, London

Greek On The Street, Croydon, London

Malpas Barbeque, Chester

A'la Turka Turkish Barbecue & Grill Restaurant, Birtley, Gateshead

Olives and Meze, Clapham, London

Kabul City Restaurant, Edgware, London

Misya Meze & Grill, Old Town, Stevenage

Sahadet, Ilford, London

Hiba Express, Holborn, London

Best Value Restaurants

The Meze Bromley, Bromley, London

Akarsu Turkish Restaurant & Grill, Durham

(Image: Google Maps)

Gokyuzu, Harringay, London

Aslan Bar & Grill, Weymouth

Persian Paradise Restaurant, Southampton

Turkish Kitchen, Peterborough

Petek Restaurant, Stroud Green, London

Sultan Sofrasi, Bow Church, London

Divan, Finchley, London

Urban Spice, Manchester

(Image: Foodcollection)

Best Newcomer Kebab House in London/Outside London

Meze Lounge Sidcup, Bexley, London

Istanbul Grill, Denton, Manchester

Can's Meze Upminster, Upminster, London

The Royal Albion Kebab King, Hounslow, London

Pita and Brew, Newcastle upon Tyne

Melin Bar & Restaurant, Harlow, Essex

Rakki Rakkas, Nottingham

Pircio, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire

The Skew Hutton, Brentwood, Essex

(Image: Google Maps)

Best Kebab Restaurant in South and East London

The Meze Bexleyheath, Bexleyheath

Lahore Kebab House East, Whitechapel

(Image: Google Maps)

Cappadocia Restaurant, Kingston

Teras, Walthamstow

Efes Restaurant, Tower Hamlets

Istanbul Grill Restaurant, Havering

Pivaz Restaurant, Hackney

Ambience Restaurant, Wimbledon

Mezzom, South Woodford

Nazar Restaurant, Hackney

Best Kebab Restaurant in North and West London

Testi, Stoke Newington

Ali's Berlin Doner, Ealing

Diyarbakir Restaurant, Harringay

Selale Restaurant, Harringay

Kervan Sofrasi Restaurant, Finchley

Durum Restaurant, Finchley

Hala Restaurant, Harringay

UMUT 2000 LIMITED, Harringay

Devran, Harringay

Persian Kebab, Acton

Best Takeaway in London

(Image: Google Maps)

m, Wallington

Brothers Kebab, Addiscombe, Croydon

Brothers Kebab & Fish Bar, South Ealing

Greek On The Street, Croydon

(Image: Google Maps)

Abra Kebabra, Croydon

The Best Kebab, Old Street

Planet Kebab, West Croydon,

The Best Turkish Kebab, Stoke Newington

West Kebab

48 Pitshanger Ln, Perivale

Kebab Centre, South Croydon

Pasha BBQ & Kebab, Wimbledon

Archway Kebab, Archway

Best Takeaway Regional

Hidden Gem Kebab House, Weymouth

Torquay Charcoal Grill, Torquay

(Image: Google Maps)

I am Döner, Leeds

Barbecue, Middleton, Manchester

Kosta's Greek Deli, Sheffield

Woodview Fish Bar & Kebab House, Castleford, West Yorkshire

Kebab Kitchen, Bristol

Charleys Kebabs & Grill, Sheffield

Armenian Kebab House, Blackpool

Albany Grill, Bexley, London

Istanbul Grill, Woking, Guildford

Master Kebabs, Gillingham, Kent

Best Kebab Restaurant Regional

Turknaz Restaurant, Whitley Bay, Northumberland

(Image: Google Maps)

Shish Mediterranean Meze & Grill, Southend-on-Sea

The Mad Turk, Stamford, Lincolnshire

Marmaris Kebab & Pizza Place, Dunstable, Bedfordshire

(Image: Google Maps)

Anatolia Turkish Cuisine, Lytham Saint Annes, Lancashire

A'la Turka, Birtley, Gateshead

Elder and Wolf, Whitley Bay, Northumberland

Istanbul BBQ, Chester

Likya, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire

Meze Mangal, Bushey Heath, Harrow

Best Kebab House in Scotland

Javit's Gilmerton, Edinburgh

Alla Turca Turkish Restaurant - Grill & Meze Bar, Glasgow

Turkish Carry Out, Edinburgh

(Image: Google Maps)

Morello, Glasgow

Dino Pizza & Kebab, Forfar

Dinos Pizza in Montrose

Ada Restaurant, Edinburgh

Corfu Kebabs, Dundee

Verdo Turkish BBQ, Edinburgh

(Image: Getty)

Best Kebab House in Northern Ireland

Chaska, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh

The Sphinx, Glengormley, Newtownabbey

(Image: Google Maps)

The Sphinx Stranmillis, Belfast

Lahore Kebab House, Newtownards, County Down

Mitos's Kebab, Belfast

Best Kebab House in Wales

Pasha Takeaway, Tregaron

Golden BBQ, Cardiff

Wales Kebab, Abertridwr, Caerphilly

Mezza Luna, Cardiff

(Image: Google Maps)

Aydin's Eatery, Colwyn Bay

Bridge Kebabs, Menai Bridge

Bella Bella, Anglesey

Mold Kebab Burger & Pizza House, Mold

Troy, Cardiff

Marco The Takeaway, Aberystwyth

Best Fine Dining

Lokanta, Broomhill, Sheffield

Skewd Kitchen, Barnet, London

Tarshish Mediterranean Grill, Wood Green, London

Veysos Brasserie, Hertford, Herts

Apadana Restaurant, Kensington, London

Havet Restaurant, Bromley, London

Kibele Restaurant, Fitzrovia, London

Ishtar Restaurant, Marylebone, London

Hazev Restaurant, Canary Wharf, London

Sheesh Restaurant, Chigwell, Essex

(Image: Getty)

Best Kebab Van of the Year

Atalay's Kebab Van, Thame, Oxon

Diamond Kebab, Cambridge

Hassan's, Oxford,

Billericay Kebab Van, Billericay

George's Bodrum Kebab, Gloucester

Mo's Best Kebab, Trowbridge, Wilts

Just Eat Best Delivery

Irmak B B Q, Dunstable, Beds

Kashmir Balti House29 Market St, New Mills, Derbs

Marmaris Kebab & Pizza Place, Dunstable, Beds

Wellingborough Kebab House, Wellingborough, Northants

Kebabalicious, Wythenshawe, Manchester

Kebab Ye, Leighton Buzzard, Beds

King Kebab House, Corby, Northants

Dom's Place

199 Lower Clapton Rd, London Hackney, London

Charcoal Grill Turkish Restaurant, Enfield, London

Urban Spice Manchester

Best Supplier Award

Velis Doner Kebab Manufacturers Ltd, Burton-on-Trent

Best Catering, Edmonton, London

Ace 4 Kebabs, Yateley, Hants

Efes Navstar Ltd, Glasgow

Ozden Catering/ Capital Catering Equipment, Harringay, London

Kral Catering tvexima ltd, Keighley, West Yorks

Star Catering Supplies Ltd

Prime Quality Foods, Enfield, London

J.J. Food Service, Enfield, London

Holland Bazaar, Enfield, London

When is the event?

The award ceremony is being held on on Monday, March 12, in London. So check back for the final results.

The winners of the sixth annual awards will be announced after a final round of judging by the British Kebab Awards judges including former Tory chairwoman Baroness Warsi, Children’s and Families’ Minister Nadhim Zahawi, Shadow Economic Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Amjad Bashir MEP and Heart Radio presenter Lucy Horobin.

Previous guests at the event include Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan .

The annual event is the only one to recognise the contribution made by the kebab industry to the British economy - worth more than £2.8billion a year, supporting around 200,000 jobs across restaurants, suppliers and the food industry. This year’s awards will raise money for the bone and soft tissue cancer charity Sarcoma UK .

(Image: Getty/TM)

Did you know?

Every day, more than 1.3m kebabs are sold across Britain. The UK’s first kebab shop, Istanbul Restaurant in Soho, opened during the Second World War and pictures of it feature in the Imperial War Museum.

However it was not until 1966 that the famous doner kebab - cooked on a vertical spit - first appeared with the opening of the Hodja Nasreddin Kebab House by Çetin Bukey and Kojay Hüsey in in North London’s Newington Green.

There are now over 20,000 kebab outlets in the UK selling around 2,500 tonnes of lamb and chicken doner a week. There are also around 200 doner kebab manufacturers in the UK, with a turnover in excess of £750m.