In honour of national burger day, we’ve had a think and have come up with our top five things we love about the humble burger!

There’s just something satisfying about eating one!

Sure, they aren’t something one should eat on a first date or in front of your partner’s parents when you first meet them, but the way you can just get stuck into a proper burger is very satisfying! Once you get your hands around the beast, you can take as big a bite as possible or try to keep some dignity (and the burger together!) by taking small nibbles, meaning that you can pig out as much or as little as you like!

Ready to be gobbled up!

Anyone can look great cooking them on a BBQ! 

You might not look the bee’s knees if you are cooking them in the oven or grilling them, but if you’re stood there with tongs in hand, BBQ all fired up, you are going to feel like a king or queen!

As you stand there with flames roaring past you, pondering how burnt on the outside and raw in the middle your super thick burger is going to be whilst sipping on a cold drink, you know that you might well still get that pat on the back from your friends or family who have come round for a BBQ feast just because of your status as the burger BBQer!

Perhaps not rocking the BBQ as much as I should be!

They are truly a near universal food!

OK, when we were in Antananarivo in Madagascar there wasn’t a McDonald’s or a Burger King, but from La Paz to Quito all the way to Hong Kong you can pretty much guarantee that if you want to enjoy a familiar feed you can grab a burger to remind you of home! Just to put this into context, McDonald’s is now present in every continent except Antarctica!

Sure, tucking into your burger on your holidays might be a case of secret eating for some people but for me I have always enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure (perhaps even a badge of honour!) knowing the humble burger can save me from lamb’s intestines or pigs’ trotters!

Image credited to Ronnie Macdonald – original image found here: http://tinyurl.com/ovxeald

Bigger simply is better!

When it comes to modern gastronomy there is a tend towards smaller portions and the likes of tasting menus. We love this in its own way but we also relish the fact that with burgers, bigger truly is better!

While I can accept that there can be such a thing as too much sauce or too many pickles with a burger, the actual meat itself is prided on bigger is better. Why else would burgers so often be seen in food challenges!

We say bring on the beasts!

Image credited to Kim – original image found here: http://tinyurl.com/pr9vnhd

They might look good but they can taste even better!

Burgers look great but the truth is they taste even better! From a lovely lamb burger to a wonderful chilli burger, you can mix up the flavours but always end up with a great taste. For me, I love spice, so any kind of spicy burger (especially with some spicy sauce!) is going to be a great flavour explosion all from a chunk of meat!

With all the taste of the rainbow on offer, including wacky and weird creations like doughnut burgers amongst many others, there is surely a burger out there for all tastes – including a fair few decent gluten free and veggie burgers! All in all, if you have tastebuds there is probably a burger out there for you!

A classy burger at the Malmaison!

Let us know what you love about the humble burger by commenting below!