A restaurateur from Epsom has been invited to be part of a panel of judges at Gordon Ramsay’s new Channel 4 show.

Enam Ali, owner of curry restaurant Le Raj, in Epsom Downs, appeared on Tuesday’s (September 21) episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Best Restaurant, alongside wife Shakina, where they judged the restaurants taking part in the show’s second round.

Mr Ali said: “I feel very proud of taking part in the show, it was very kind of them to choose me as a judge. I think because they have invited me to judge other restaurants this shows we are respected and I have to say we feel very proud to be in Epsom.”

The panel was formed of eight judges who scrutinised the food cooked by the two competing restaurants on episode two of the Best Restaurant series.

Mr Ali, besides owning Le Raj, which has been open for 22 years, is also the organiser of the British Curry Awards, which last year had the presence of now Prime Minister David Cameron and celebrities such as Sir Trevor McDonald and Chris Tarrant.

He said: “I am grateful to my customers whose support over the last two decades has made Le Raj an icon of the curry industry.”

The next episode of Ramsay’s Best Restaurant will air on Channel 4, on Tuesday at 9pm.

The show where Mr Ali appears can be seen on Channel 4 On Demand this week.