The 10th Annual National Burger Awards

20 Feb 2024

This week I was lucky enough to be invited to the 10th Annual National Burger Awards, at the Big Penny Social – any excuse to snag a burger!

This year was the 10th National Burger Awards, and was set to be the biggest to date. 16 finalists from all around the country were invited to take part in 3 challenges.
These were:-

– Technical (creating the ultimate burger with ingredients provided by the sponsors)
– Signature (their own burgers, created with their own ingredients and sauces)
– Plant Based (again using ingredients provided)

Winners were announced for the National Burger of the Year, Burger Chef of the Year, Plant-Based Burger of the Year, Bloggers Choice Award and Freakshake of the Year.

Arriving in good time, having left nice and early to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic I found a reasonably priced car park and dumped the car. A short walk through Walthamstow and in to a small trade estate and there was the brewery – The Big Penny Social.

Stepping inside and the place really opened up. Initially I was thinking that this looked like a small-ish venue so we might be packed in a little. My fears were quickly assuaged as The Big Penny Social really did live up to its name. The main hall was large, well lit, and more importantly filled with the smells of the finalists cooking up a storm. The large bar with tables and traders were all setting up (I was an hour early after all!) ready for the rest of the guests to arrive. Having taken a couple of snaps I went in search of a drink and somewhere to perch to wait for the main event – and to get from under the feet of the organisers. I was then shown through to a second, equally large bar that was already full of fellow burger enthusiasts…

After a short wait at a bar that was serving free drinks, we were invited back in to the main hall to enjoy the trade stands that were being set up as I arrived. With almost everything represented that you could need to start your own burger business there was a great selection of stands. Talking to a few of the traders present it was clear that they were passionate about the products that they are selling. From the easily overlooked packaging and preparation equipment through to the condiments and sides that really round off a great burger everyone was excited to talk about what they were there for. And as is always the way, with great passion comes great products – and most importantly great flavours!

Soon the smells that first met me at the door materialised in to a more tangible and delicious snack samples that were bussed around the room by the traders and sponsors. I imagine that this was what it felt like to be at a rockstar party, but instead of canapés there was street food – from french fries to tater-tots, breaded pimento peppers and the all important burgers were on trays and ready to eat. Simply see what you want to take a slice (or 2)

Alongside the food that were drinks provided by event sponsors – Pepsi and Horlicks. The Pepsi stand offered a number of cola-based cocktails. As I was planing on driving back West that evening I sought out some zero alcohol options, and was pleasantly surprised to find more than the standard ‘Pepsi inna glass’. The cocktail of choice (for me at least) was a ‘Fixr’. A cold shot of espresso, a teaspoon of marmalade topped up with Pepsi and garnished with a twist of orange peel. Utterly delicious, very different and highly recommended!

Across the hall was the Horlicks stand – and you could be forgiven for wondering why you’d want a Horlicks with a burger?! Interestingly, Horlicks and burgers have a long history together. Originally created by William Horlick in 1882 as a dietary additive it was in the 1930’s that Ivar ‘Pop’ Coulson decided to add a couple of scoops of icrecream to the mix and created the first modern milkshake. This caught on and was very quickly a staple of Diners, Drive-In’s and Burger joints all across the states. Horlicks was there to demonstrate the original recipe.

Soon it was time for the winners announcements and the crowd gathered around the stage. As with previous years there were judges made up of industry professionals, previous winners and bloggers who had the arguably amazing job of selecting the winners for each category.

With a full belly, and a long drive I left shortly after the winners were announced – overall a great evening out – and highly recommended if like me you love all things burger!

if you want to know who took the crown, head to www.nationalburgerawards.co.uk and check it out!