Battle of the buns!

There seems to be no definitive answer as to who invented the hamburger. There are records dating back to 1st Century Rome, where a ground-meat dish containing nuts, pepper and other flavourings bore a slight resemblance to the modern day hamburger.

In the decades since there have been recordings of similar meat-based convenience foods consisting of meat sandwiched between pieces of bread that could lay claim to being the first semblance of the burger that we know and love today. 'Ham-cestors' of the modern-day burger you might say.

But there's no doubt that the hamburger is very much a child of the 20th Century, where it was most probably born across the Atlantic, to grow in to the modern, quite often artisanal, joyous ground beef sandwiched between two buns accompanied by all manner of enticing, savoury bedfellows. Kansas, California, Kentucky, Colorado and many other U.S. States could all legitimately claim the hamburger as their own. But of course it was a man from Illinois, Ray Kroc, a milkshake-machine salesman who saw the potential in a small fast-food operation called McDonald's back in 1955, that lit the grill that started the World's burger love affair. The image of the humble burger has changed from a quick and easy fast-food option into an Instagrammable, food-porn, choice-fest, taken seriously by chef's of all stature. A must-have option on pretty much every restaurant menu.

These days there are some great burgers available from high-street brands such as Five Guys, Shake Shack, Byron and the like. If you've eaten at any of these lately you know it's no longer the cheap option, with a drool-fest of endless combinations for today's burger connoisseur.

So we got to thinking; who serves the best burger around here? Ahh such a simple idea to start with. So I put the word out, and in what seemed like a matter of minutes, it felt like I was being thrown burgers at every angle! For anyone who knows me, this is the stuff of dreams. That night I went to sleep dreaming of all those burgers, right up to the moment when Hamburgler reared his nightmarish masked head! (kids, ask your parents).

And so it was written, so it was done. The inaugural Battle of the Buns was underway. I don't think I've ever met a nicer bunch of people, all so passionate about the burgers they so lovingly prepare. Proof indeed that the burger is humble no more, I was treated to a plethora of fantastic food.

More than just burgers, these culinary creations are designed for the one sole purpose of bringing joy to your mouth. I'm in my happy place when I'm eating a burger and all of the entrants we tried brought me to that place - joyful, chin-wiping, meaty, happiness.

I would like to thank them all for their enthusiasm, hospitality & generousity. I'm sorry if we left you out this time, we will be doing this again in 2021 & it will be bigger and better! Now, let me loosen my belt...

Click here for our top picks for the Best Burgers in Town