As I mentioned in my post about my chocolate tart I was invited by the guys at Selfridges to attend a Burger Masterclass up on their rooftop terrace and hosted by the butchers, Turner & George. As many of you know, I take my burgers fairly seriously (there’s a whole column in my restaurant spreadsheet dedicated to patty quality) and for me to get an invite to see how they go about making their famous Black Label Burger was a pretty great chance.
Warning, this post is not suitable for vegetarians (this isn’t here as a joke, it contains raw meat)
As it was the day of the tube strike I decided to walk from work (Pimlico) to Selfridges after work which took about 40 minutes. It was actually a fairly useful thing to do as it really helped me work out the geography a bit. Fortunately the weather was great, which meant the walk was pleasant and the views from the top of Selfridges weren’t too shabby.
For those who don’t know Turner & George are one of London’s best butchers, ran by the team of Richard H Turner (executive Chef at none other than the renowned Hawksmoor) and James George the Butcher in their business relationship. Together they set up East London Steak Co. which won plaudits over a number of years since its birth. The butchers felt like the next logical step for the pair.
The burger the masterclass focused on is their Black Label burger, which is twice minced to create a coarse ground patty then ran through with bone marrow to give it that extra flavour. The beef comes from a Dexter which, fed naturally on grass, is the smallest breed in the UK. They use a secret combination of cuts to make sure the burger reaches peak flavour and completely omit the seasoning to let the beef really shine through.
One of the things that really shone at the masterclass was their passion. These guys weren’t just talking meat for the sake of it, they really love what they do and what they are selling. After sampling one of their Black Label burgers on the night I used a voucher they gave me to stock up on a few things for a BBQ I hosted this weekend. I spent past the voucher and grabbed a selection of Blue Label Burgers, Pork Belly and Oxford Sausages, all of which went down a storm with the BBQ goers. If you’re interested in grabbing anything for yourself you can visit their counter in the Selfridges foodhall or else their own place in EC1V.
Have you been BBQing yet this summer?