A LONG-SERVING family-run Indian takeaway has praised the “continuous support” of the community after receiving a prestigious award from a restaurant website.

Spice Zone Indian Takeaway, located on Head Street in Halstead has been presented with a five-star rated Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor after receiving half a star less last year.

The recognised honour is given to hospitality businesses that consistently provide quality, high-end service to their customers, which is determined each year by the volume of positive reviews they receive.

To be eligible for consideration, Spice Zone, which specialises in south Asian cuisine, has had to maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five over a period of twelve months. Spice Zone's manager said: “Our customers have helped us come back even stronger this year with even more stars.

“It is overwhelming that we are now the highest rated Indian in Halstead.

“It has been a challenging year for us, with Brexit and the healthy eating trend.

“But we have revamped our menus and ingredients to fulfil demands of vegans while cutting down on oil, grease and sugar for a healthier British curry.”

Spice Zone has now been a part of the Halstead food scene and community for 20 years, after the family-run business set up shop back in 1999.

Its reputation has steadily grown and the quality of the authentic, flavoursome experience that the eatery provides has been maintained - something the that takeaway's manager puts down to the town’s loyal support and love of Indian dishes.

He said: “We have been in Halstead now for 20 years, and that is all because of the loyal and great customers.

“You enable us to support and give back to the Halstead community and all the great local causes and this would not be possible without your continuous support.

“Being able to retain all our loyal customers, yet attract new customers, explains the level of customers service we try to provide while delivering a fabulous meal each time, is our secret to being a local legend here in Halstead.”