Honest have launched a new limited edition Spanish themed burger

A new special at Honest Burgers is always something to look forward to.

We loved their limited edition steak frites burger last year, and the Beef Wellington burger, exclusive to Manchester, is a thing of beauty.

Now, their latest special is a collaboration with Brindisa – UK importers of the best Spanish food and drink for 33 years. 

Founded in 1988 by Monika Linton, the business started as a means to bring home the best cheese, jamón and wine Monika had enjoyed while living in Spain after university.

The Barcelona special, available to eat in the Bridge Street restaurant (£13), for delivery, or even as a home kit, combines classic tapas flavours with the crunch of the British crisp sandwich. 

As well as the Honest beef patty, it also combines Manchego cheese, grilled onions, bravas sauce, rocket and confit garlic mayo.

Plus Torres Jamón Ibérico crisps, which you get in a separate 25g bag to add yourself at the last minute just before you eat it.

So what’s it like?

Honest are famed for their 100% British beef patties made in their own butchery, using high-quality chuck and rib cap beef from native breed Gloucestershire cows – which means you can have your burger served pink if you prefer. Which works absolutely brilliantly for this one.

The Manchego, a Spanish full fat hard cheese made with pasteurised sheep’s milk, melts beautifully and adds a unique nutty, buttery flavour.

Using bravas sauce, a Spanish spicy tomato sauce made with hot paprika, adds gentle heat as well as making us nostalgic for holidays abroad – though sitting on the Honest terrace might be the closest we get for a while.

Combined with the cool confit garlic mayo, onions and rocket it also makes this a fairly messy burger, in the best possible way – you’ll need a good couple of napkins to hand.

The pièce de résistance though is those crisps.

Torres is a family business dating back to 1975, founded in Barcelona by husband and wife team Alfonso Torres and Dolores Ortega and now run by their two sons.

We love the heady, luxurious black truffle flavour they do – but it’s the aromatic Jamón Ibérico flavour that adds a bit of magic here.

If you’re a fan of a crisp sandwich – and who isn’t? – you’ll absolutely love what they add to the burger in terms of both texture and flavour.

“For Brindisa to stock something it has to be top quality,” says Honest Burgers co-founder Tom Barton about the collaboration.

“The jamón crisps from Torres in Barcelona are top sellers and contenders for my all-time favourite. 

“When it comes to making a crisp sandwich it’s vital that the crisps are added last-minute for a proper crunch. 

“So every Barcelona special will come with its own mini pack of crisps for you to assemble the final burger yourself, whether that’s in our restaurants or at home.” 

And talking of potatoes, the rosemary salted chips are worth shouting about, too. They’ve been described by food critic Jay Rayner as “edible crystal meth”. 

Chips come automatically with every burger at Honest, because, rightly, they’re not an extra, they’re an essential.

And make sure you add on a pot of Honest’s rich meaty bacon gravy, which is just perfect for dipping.

All in all, the Barcelona burger is an utter joy. But you’d better be quick, because it’s only available until 31st May.