Chocolate in curry adds a richer texture

The naanwich was devised by Eastern Foods, one of Britain's largest producers of naan and pitta breads, and its sister company Minara Foods.

Mr Syed said: "Anyone involved in the food industry has to innovate constantly if they are to capture the public's imagination and stay one step ahead of the competition."

Four flavour naanwiches are being launched: chicken alloo, chicken tandoori masala, vegetable bhuna and sweet and sour.

Halal meals

The sandwich market is estimated to have been worth �3.2bn in 1999 and is growing at 13% per year.

Chocolate-flavoured curry is another food innovation.

A spokeswoman for Minara Foods said: "Tasting panels have given curry chocolate a unanimous thumbs-up.

The chocolate adds a richness to the traditional curry flavour."

The show has hundreds of different foods on display

Halal frozen meals are also on display at the show.

They are the brainchild of 32-year-old Naz Ayub, who once worked in a Halal slaughterhouse.

She originally planned to open a Halal butcher's shop in Alum Rock in Birmingham, which has a predominantly Muslim population.

Ms Ayub eventually decided to manufacture frozen Halal burgers for the retail trade.

The new range is being manufactured in Birmingham to a traditional home-cooked Kashmiri recipe.

The European Ethnic Food Exhibition runs until Tuesday.