Hawksmoor Manchester

Cal could have turned up, tried 3 ready-made options and picked a favourite. Instead, Matt handed him the kitchen and stepped back, an open door to build whatever he believed was the perfect burger.

Cal had notes. A lot of notes. Matt had thoughts about the notes.

They spent days in the kitchen together. What you see is exactly how it happened. No burger already sitting in a fridge, ready to have his name stuck on it.

Cal was clear from day one about what he didn't want. Nothing built just to look good on TikTok. No gimmicks. Quality. A burger so good anyone would enjoy it, not just because they know who he is. One so good that it wins over an entire table, built from everything he genuinely believes makes a good one.

They tested everything. Different patties. Different sauces. Different cheeses. Different buns. Discarding what didn't work until they landed on what did.

There were arguments about pickles, obviously. Some burnt bacon. And a few sauces that thankfully will never see the light of day.

At the start there wasn't one. By the end there was, and it's good. Really good.

The single-most important decision. Guess which one @calfreezy chose?

Of course he went for the mix! Flavour².

There’s no brioche in this burger.

Got to be crispy. Got to streaky. Got to be charcoal-grilled.

Not any bacon. Dry-cured and smoked native breed bacon.

What’s your stance on pickles in burgers?

Cal’s very own special sauce. Doesn’t exist anywhere else.

A true kitchen bromance.

We tried to keep Cal under wraps. Then we stepped outside for 30 seconds...

So, is it going to win “World’s Best Burger”?