The burger you need to try this Veganuary (ad)

I was kindly gifted a meal at Honest burgers in exchange for a review. However I want to make it clear this is a 100% honest review and this hasn’t swayed my opinion in any way.

With a lot of people taking part in Veganuary, January is always the best time of year to get your hands on the most delicious vegan and vegetarian goodies. All the brands try extra hard to bring out new and exciting products, although a lot of them sadly do this for the month and then they’re no-where to be seen come February.

I was recently invited to try out Honest Burger’s vegan Teriyaki Burger, which is available throughout January (although I hope they extend it). They have lots of branches throughout the country, including Liverpool, Brighton and lots in London and the surrounding areas. My nearest branch is Bristol, so I took this as the perfect excuse to have a day out with the other half to do a bit of shopping and go out for a meal. So if you’d like to know how I got on please read on….

Who are Honest Burgers?

“Co-founded by friends Tom Barton and Philip Eeles in Brighton in 2009, Honest Burgers started out cooking great British burgers in a field at a local food festival. The following year Tom and Phil opened a tiny restaurant in Brixton Market (which is still there today), making everything from scratch and cycling eight miles every day to pick up the best beef available.

Honest Burgers launched its own south London butchery in 2017, which enabled Honest to make its own patties rather than buying them in from a butcher. Honest Burgers is the only burger company in the UK to do this, chopping (rather than mincing) its beef to hold the flavour in and keep the meat coarse and tender so Honest’s burgers cut like butter, but stay together. Next door to the Honest Burgers butchery is the Honest Kitchen, where sauces, relishes, pickles, drinks and chips are made entirely from scratch.

On 23rd May 2022, Honest announced its switch to using regeneratively farmed British beef in partnership with farming collective GrassRoots, in a move which transforms the group’s supply chain to reduce its carbon footprint and the environmental impact of eating beef. By the start of 2024, all restaurants will serve this beef, which Tom and Phil hope will make a hugely positive impact on the British farming industry and environment.”

The vegan Teriyaki Burger

This burger is made using a Beyond patty covered in pulled shiitake mushrooms and a signature teriyaki sauce. It’s packed full of grilled peppers, spring onions and lettuce, and is finished off with Applewood Vegan cheese and a home-made Japanese-inspired mayo. All burgers come with homemade rosemary salted chips, seasonal coleslaw or dressed green salad included in the price.

The Teriyaki Burgers (including the beef version) are available at all 43 restaurants until 31st January. They are priced at £14.75/£14. For more information on Honest Burgers visit www.honestburgers.co.uk 

My thoughts

What did I think of the vegan Teriyaki Burger? I’m obsessed! The patty they used is the brand I always reach for, so straight away I knew I was going to love it. The teriyaki flavour was really nice, although to be honest I don’t think I would’ve known it was teriyaki if I was blind tasting. I really liked the addition of the grilled pepper which gave it a nice flavour and change of texture. The lettuce and onions were fresh and the vegan cheese was also really nice. I think it’s clear they’ve really worked hard to find the best ingredients and vegan alternatives, as I know from experience some vegan cheeses can be a bit off.

I’ve tried plenty of vegan burgers over the years and nothing so far can compare to this one. The chips were also really delicious – lovely and crispy and the rosemary salt was a fantastic touch. I also tried out the onion rings which again were really nice. They had fennel seeds in the batter which I’ve never seen before, and it definitely added a nice kick of flavour.

Would I have it again? Absolutely. Although the Teriyaki Burger won’t be available on my next trip, I’m already thinking which of their veggie burgers I want to try next!

Thankyou to Honest Burgers for inviting me to try out their special burger!

Until next time.

XOX