Who makes the UK’s tastiest burger? Three Northern Ireland meat companies are in the running...

Who makes the UK’s tastiest burger? Three Northern Ireland meat companies are in the running to be named the producer of Britain’s best burger.

Dunbia, Dungannon; Downpatrick’s Finnebrogue Artisan and Linden Foods, also based in the Tyrone town, have been shortlisted in the UK’s biggest meat industry awards for their quality burgers.

Linden is also in the running for the ‘Best Meat Pie’ and ‘Sirloin Steak’ categories, and Dunbia has been shortlisted for its ‘Porterhouse Sirloin Steak’ and ‘Roasting Joint’ in the ‘Best Beef Product’.

They all figure in the influential Meat Management Industry Awards, an annual celebration of the very best and most innovative UK meat products. Dunbia and Linden Foods are also both in the running for the prestigious ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ title.

Meat processing is also now the biggest sector in the NI food industry and is helping to sustain dozens of local farm families. The listing of local producers showcases the outstanding quality, texture and, above all, taste of meat being produced here by companies which are now recognised as leaders in the local food and drink industry, a £6 billion business which employs over 100,000 people and exports to more than 60 companies worldwide.

Each year the Meat Management Industry Awards recognises the best manufacturers and producers, suppliers, retailers, individuals and organisations in the UK meat sector. They are also voted for by the readers of Meat Management magazine and meatmanagement.com, the main trade promotion sites.

The various award categories reflect everything that is exceptional across the whole UK industry including the Excellence Award which is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the meat sector. This award is presented during the gala presentation and dinner. The annual initiative is the biggest event in the UK meat trade calendar and attracts a wide range of guests from across all sectors of the meat industry.

Lead organiser of the event, Sharon Yandell says: “It is exciting to announce all the finalists but of course the winners are not pre-informed and will only find out if they have won on the night at the ceremony on 12 September."

The short-listings also reflect the strength of business relationships between local producers and major UK supermarkets.

Linden Foods, for instance, has been listed for burgers and steak produced for Marks and Spencer, reflecting their position as a major producer and supplier of premium meat products to M&S Foods.

The Linden team works closely with M&S on the development of innovative meat products for the retailer’s customers. Two Linden foods for M&S have been shortlisted – M&S Collection British 2 Wagyu Burgers and Slow Cooked Beef and Red Wine Pie.

Linden also recently won a BOOM (Best of Organic Market) award from the Soil Association (Best for premium organic steaks produced for OCADO, the leading UK online retailer). BOOM awards honour those behind the UK’s organic food and farming, championing innovation and celebrating those creating exceptional organic products, that work for people, planet, wildlife and the climate.

Dunbia’s listings are for products developed for M&S, Iceland and Co-op Food. The processor developed ‘Hereford Rib’ and ‘Brisket Smoked Burger’ for the Co-op; ‘M&S Collection Bone-In Porterhouse Sirloin Steak with Garlic and Herb Butter’; and ‘Luxury Sirloin Roasting Joint’ for Iceland.

Finnebrogue supplies its wagyu burgers to both Tesco and Sainsbury supermarkets. The company, in July, signed a letter of intent with Ivy Farm Technologies in Britain, with the aim of creating one of the world’s first commercially available cultivated wagyu beef burgers. The new partnership will see the two companies work together to produce cultivated wagyu burgers once the industry is given the regulatory green light.

Finnebrogue’s wagyu burgers were judged the overall favourite in the Which? magazine taste test for 2022. These burgers can be found across major retailers in the UK, such as Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Costco and Tesco.

Influenced by cattle breeding techniques in Japan, wagyu fat melts at a lower temperature than any other cattle's, resulting in a rich, buttery flavour unlike in other strains of beef. This fat is also unsaturated and high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, meaning not only is wagyu marbling more delicious, it’s also said to be more healthy.