AN Oldbury Indian restaurant has won a top accolade at The Academy of Food and Wine Awards.

Saffron, Wolverhampton Road West, clinched the Midland 2010 Gastronomy Team of the Year Competition.

The award was given for the restaurant’s food and wine choice and presentation skills and will now battle it out with four other national winners in a ‘cook off’.

Saffron received the regional award for producing a two-course menu with matching wines and an explanation of its use of ingredients and cooking methods.

The Saffron team of executive chef Sudha Shankar Saha and sommelier Aklasul Momin submitted a starter of pan-fried spice-scented sea bass and Parma ham parcel, spiced chickpea salsa, ginger and sweet chilli dressing and salad greens, matching it with a Domaine Matrot Bourgogne Chardonnay 2008.

It mains entry was Indian shepherd's pie with Parmigiano-Reggiano and coriander crumble, served with korma sauce, paired with an Altano Organic Douro Red.

Helen Glen, Event Manager for the Academy of Food and Wine, said: “Saffron stood out for their innovative use of the Discover the Origin products in their dishes, impressive descriptions about why they chose their wines and their detailed write-ups of the Food & Wine match.”

Aklasul Momin, director of Saffron said: “We are delighted to have been officially recognised by such a prestigious training organisation for our outstanding gastronomic skills and are eager to show we can go on and win the top UK award.”

Saffron recently won the Midland title in the 2010 Good Food Guide Readers’ Restaurant of the Year Awards for its innovative cuisine and outstanding service. Its Executive Head Chef Sudha Shankar Saha has worked in restaurants across the world and recently starred in the Channel 4 TV series IronChef.