Burger King unveils its most premium burger yet — and it’s backed by Gordon Ramsay

Made with 100% British wagyu beef: Meet the brand-new burger on the block… and even Gordon Ramsey is backing it! (Picture: Supplied)

From the Whopper to the Chicken Royale and Chilli Cheese Bites, Burger King® UK has items on its menu to suit a variety of tastes.

But burger connoisseurs are in luck, as the quick service restaurant has just unveiled its most premium product to date – The Wagyu.

The brand-new burger is made with 100% British wagyu beef, flame-grilled in Burger King’s signature style, and if that fact alone isn’t enough to tantalise your taste buds, it’s also earned the backing of Gordon Ramsay.

The renowned chef tried the burger, which is topped with caramelised onions, pink pickled onions, rocket, crispy onions and caramelised onion mayo, housed in a soft seeded brioche bun, and described it as ‘amazing’.

He’s such a fan that he’s even appearing in adverts for the new burger.

But it’s worth pointing out he didn’t play any part in creating it, as the comical ads proudly state The Wagyu is ‘not made by Gordon’.

The burger, which costs £11 and is part of the chain’s Gourmet Kings range, was instead crafted by the team at Burger King® UK, led by the Food Innovation Director, Christian Binney.

Gourmet flavours and the best of British beef farming, all neatly stacked between two halves of a seeded brioche bun (Picture: Supplied)

The goal was to make something that delivers ‘gourmet flavour’ and allows wagyu to become accessible to the entire nation, instead of restricting it to high-end restaurants.

Christian shared how the team spent more than a year working to find the right kind of beef and put the finishing touches on the product, which is the first of its kind for quick service restaurants in the UK.

While wagyu might be renowned for its Japanese heritage, this burger is distinctly British, crossing wagyu cattle with British dairy cows from herds across 700 UK farms. 

The cattle are reared carefully, being raised on grass for most of their life and then finished on grain, which is what makes all the difference to the flavour.

Christian explains: ‘With wagyu beef, the fat actually runs all the way through the structure, making it melt in your mouth.’

As such, it’s a ‘premium, high quality product’ that he’s hopeful will prove popular with both loyal and new Burger King customers:

‘We’ve seen great growth in our gourmet platform, it’s doing really well in home delivery, and our existing gourmet consumers are very loyal. 

Christian Binney, Food Innovation Director at Burger King UK, explains: ‘the fat actually runs all the way through the structure, making it melt in your mouth’ (Picture: Supplied)

‘We wanted to offer them a bit of choice alongside our BBQ Steakhouse burger, which uses 100% Aberdeen Angus beef; it’s the chance to enjoy a real treat at an accessible price.’

This burger isn’t just for regular Burger King customers though, as Christian hopes it will attract new fans that might be surprised to see something like this on a quick-service restaurant menu.

‘I think it really shows people what we can do and how we can do it differently from our competition.

‘By using fantastic farming standards, integrating that into our supply chain system and cooking it in our classic flame-grilled way, this burger celebrates and elevates everything that’s already great about Burger King and British beef farming.’

But does it really live up to the hype?

Metro’s specialist food writer, Courtney Pochin, headed down to Burger King to give it a try ahead of the launch.

She said: ‘The Wagyu is, without a doubt, the best burger I’ve ever tried from Burger King. ‘The difference in the quality of the product is immediately obvious – from the box it’s served in (which pops open like you’re unwrapping a present when you lift the lid), to the generously sized patty and the taste of the meat itself.

‘This isn’t your standard fast food burger, it’s got a much richer, beefier flavour – you can really taste the meat, even with all the other toppings, the right balance is there so that the flavour doesn’t get lost.’

She continues: ‘The array of different onions pair nicely, adding sweet, acidic and umami notes into the mix, as well as offering contrasting textures. The peppery rocket adds a nice bite as well as a pop of colour too.

‘Overall, I was impressed with the burger and would recommend giving it a try.’

Gordon Ramsay has shared similar sentiments, saying: ‘Take it from me, The Wagyu tastes flaming great and anyone trying it will be able to taste the gourmet quality of the beef… which is so important for any great burger.

‘It’s amazing to see how Burger King UK have made wagyu so accessible to the public, and I absolutely love how the product celebrates the best of British beef farming.’

The Wagyu is available nationwide from today (September 9), but only for a limited time. It’s priced at £11 for the burger on its own, or £13.50 for a meal, though prices may vary depending on location or delivery costs.

Those wanting to enjoy it at home will be able to do so exclusively via Deliveroo until September 22, and across other delivery partners from September 23.

And if you’re a fan of The Wagyu, you’re going to want to keep your eyes peeled, as Christian says Burger King has more up its sleeve.

New Loaded Truffle Fries are launching alongside the burger, which Christian claims are his ‘perfect pairing’

‘A lot of our customers want value, so we’re still offering that, but people also want a family treat, and they can come and visit Burger King and have a gourmet experience. 

‘This product is the pinnacle of that, but we’re 100% going to be doing more things with wagyu in the future. I’ve been working with some fantastic creative chefs, and we’ve got lots of recipes still to come.’

The Wagyu is available nationwide for a limited time only. Try it for yourself by heading down to your local Burger King today!