A burger kitchen in Bristol has been crowned as one of the best in the UK at the National Burger Awards 2023. Fattso co-owner and chef, Hamish Macdonald, was handed third place after a cook-off at the prestigious competition in London last week.
Fattso was first conceived by Joe Watson and Charlie Morris Adams who kitted out a burger truck in Wells, less than an hour away from Bristol, setting up in the Cheddar Valley car park, where it still remains to this day. The pair were interested in the 'smash burger' scene coined in the United States, which sees the meat cooked on a flat top grill at high heat, served with different sauces and toppings.
Hamish, who had previously worked as a private chef in Switzerland, joined the team after moving back to the West Country when the pandemic hit. “The first day of opening was very busy," he recalled when they launched in early 2020.
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"We had invited a lot of our friends as we grew up there and it carried on from there. For the first few weeks, we had queues of an hour down the road as there aren't a huge amount of options in Wells and lots of things were closed."
The Wells site remains a popular choice for people in Somerset, with people travelling for an hour round trip to visit the van. Hamish added that the team will look at a more permanent site in the future when the economy has recovered.
He continued: "They're simple burgers but with interesting sauces and they are easy to create lots of. Some people will use lots of braised meats but you can't actually eat them. My favourite thing about it is coming up with the recipes for the sauces and being creative with that."
Last year, Fattso expanded to Bristol as a pop-up in Steam, Clifton, which saw success over the summertime but is predominantly a student venue. The team re-evaluated its Bristol location to find a more central, quieter venue where the food had more of a centre stage, moving to the Stag and Hounds on the edge of Old Market in February this year.
All but one of Fattso's burgers contain double patties, including their award-winning Royale with Cheese inspired by Hamish's own favourite, cheese on toast. The dry-aged double beef patties are layered with a Lea & Perrins Mayo, malt pickled onions, bone marrow confit onions and three types of cheese (American, Ogleshield and Gruyere).
The six burgers range from £9.50 to £11.50, including vegan and vegetarian options. There is also a £7 single patty burger with American cheese with fries available for £3 extra.
Hamish was invited to the National Burger Awards in Islington, London, for a cook-off with some of the most respected burger chefs in the country. He quickly shook the nerves off and enjoyed the experience, cooking the Royale with Cheese that earned the team third place overall.
"It was a really fun day chatting with all of the people about their businesses. To come away with third, I was really pleased.
"The signature round is your own burger and that was the one I wanted to do well. After seeing everyone else's and to come third on our first time was brilliant."
He said it felt good to be recognised after working hard for so many years and is already looking forward to the awards in 2024 after this year under his belt.
Find Fattso at the Stag and Hounds, Old Market, open Wednesday to Friday (5pm-9pm), Saturday (12pm-9pm) and Sunday (12pm-8pm). The Fattso food truck is based at 22 Tucker Street, Wells, open Wednesday to Saturday (5pm-9pm). https://www.fattso.co.uk/about
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