Judges revealed for 10th National Burger Awards

The National Burger Awards has revealed who will be judging the signature round at this year's final, as the event marks its 10th anniversary next week.

With the live cook-off taking place on Tuesday 20 February, four industry experts have been selected to determine which burger will be named the UK's best for 2024.

Around the judging table will be...

• Sally Abé (pictured), consultant chef at The Pem, London, formerly head chef at The Harwood Arms and star of Great British Menu
• Anthony 'Murf' Murphy, co-founder of The Beefy Boys and double National Burger Awards title winner in 2023
• Tom Watts-Jones, chef director of The Hare and Hounds Group, formerly of London's St John and The Anchor & Hope, Southwark
• Nick Watkins, founder of El Perro Negro and the only chef to win the National Burger Awards twice (2019 and 2021)

These four culinary professionals will be chaired by Tristan O'Hana, editorial director of H2O Publishing, as they make their way through the 16 signature burgers that have been selected as this year's finalists.  

More on 2024

The National Burger Awards will see chefs from across the hospitality sector – including restaurants, pubs and street food traders – go head-to-head in a live cooking showdown to see whose signature burger creation will be named best in the UK.

This year’s stellar line-up includes London-based burger chain and 2020 champion Bleecker, set to face-off against Black Bear Burger, another of the capital’s burger-specialist institutions. They are joined by the likes of Loungers, owner of the Lounge, Cosy Club and Brightside brands, as well as Mollie’s Motel & Diner – created by Soho House founder Nick Jones MBE – and Stonegate, the nation’s largest pub and bar operator.

Several well-known and up-and-coming indies have also made the cut, including Bristol’s Fattso, a brand that came third in the signature round last year, along with new entrants Bun & Sum from London and Newquay’s Herd Burger.

The event, headline sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery, will take place at Big Penny Social in London on 20 February. In addition to the signature round, chefs will participate in a technical challenge that will see them create a burger from a specific selection of ingredients supplied by event sponsors in a bid to be crowned Burger Chef of the Year. They will also take part in a meat-free burger round sponsored by Redefine Meat.

If you're interested in attending the National Burger Awards final, you can request to do so via the event's website.

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