Right . . . there has been quite a bit happening around UK BBQ this week.
Britain’s best burger is apparently sitting in a Tesco chiller, Oxford has tightened its rules on BBQs in public spaces, London has a £150 barbecue tray doing the rounds and the weekend calendar is absolutely rammed.
I’ve dug through the announcements, checked the dates and pulled together the stories I think are genuinely worth knowing about. There is a fair bit here, so perhaps make a brew first. Or grab a beer . . . I’m not judging.
Britain’s Best Burger Is From Tesco . . . Apparently
The winners of the 2026 Meat Management Meat Industry Awards were announced on Thursday 3 September, and there was one result that was always going to get BBQ people talking.
Tesco Finest Cherrywood Smoked Beef Aberdeen Angus Beef Burgers, made by Dunbia, were named Britain’s Best Burger.
Yes . . . Britain’s best burger, according to the judges, is one you can pick up while buying milk and toilet roll.
That headline is entertaining, but it is also a useful reminder not to dismiss something automatically because it comes from a supermarket. Plenty of people will still prefer to choose their own mince, seasoning and fat ratio, and I completely understand that. But a nationally available burger winning a respected industry award means a lot more people can actually try it and decide whether the judges got it right.
I have not tried the winning burgers, so I’m not going to pretend they have changed my life. I am curious, though. Cherrywood smoke and Aberdeen Angus sounds promising enough, but the real test is what happens when they meet a properly hot grill.
There were several other BBQ-friendly results worth knowing about:
- Britain’s Best Sausage: Co-op Irresistible 6 Pork Sausages, made by Pilgrim’s Europe
- Best Pork or Pigmeat Product: Waitrose No.1 Slow Cooked Hot Smoked Sticky Pork Belly with Peach Barbecue Glaze, made by Pilgrim’s Europe
- Best Lamb Product: Scotch Lamb Lollipops from Campbells Prime Meat
The pork belly in particular sounds like it was designed by somebody who knows exactly how to make BBQ people stop scrolling. Hot smoked pork belly with a sticky peach barbecue glaze . . . subtle it is not.
Have you tried any of the winners? More importantly, does that Tesco burger genuinely deserve the title? I suspect this one may need some community testing.
Read the full 2026 Meat Industry Awards results
Oxford Tightens Its Public-Space BBQ Rules
Oxford City Council has expanded the number of locations covered by its Public Spaces Protection Order for BBQs and fires. The change is intended to reduce the risk of wildfires during prolonged periods of hot, dry weather.
Under the updated order, enforcement officers can issue a £100 fixed penalty notice to anyone using a barbecue, lighting a fire, releasing a Chinese lantern or using fireworks without authorisation in designated public spaces.
Failure to pay the notice, or an incident that causes serious damage, can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000, as well as court costs and potential compensation for criminal damage.
Before anyone starts panic-buying charcoal . . . Oxford has not banned you from cooking burgers in your own garden. This concerns specified public spaces, with the expanded order adding more high-risk locations to the existing restrictions.
That distinction matters. A headline saying “BBQ ban” can make it sound as though somebody from the council is about to confiscate your kettle grill. The actual issue is people lighting fires in dry parks and green spaces where one mistake can spread very quickly.
I think we are probably going to see more temporary or location-specific restrictions like this when conditions are dry. Nobody wants unnecessary rules, but nobody wants a disposable barbecue setting fire to half a park either. Check the signs, use proper equipment where barbecues are allowed and make absolutely sure the fire is out before leaving.
Read Oxford City Council’s full update
Smokehouse and Live-Fire News
A new ribs residency, Michelin-starred Austin barbecue at one of London’s grandest venues and another live-fire restaurant opening outside the capital . . . this corner of the UK food scene is certainly not slowing down.
Rack City Ribs Begins Its Stratford Residency
Rack City Ribs began a limited-time residency at Kitchen E20 in Stratford on Tuesday 1 September as part of the venue’s E20 Connections series.
The official listing highlights crispy jerk pork ribs and sliced jerk beef short ribs, served with fries or hash browns and Asian slaw. This is not a timid tray of beige pub food pretending to be barbecue. The flavours sound bold, and the menu gives people another reason to seek out independently developed smokehouse cooking in London.
Restaurant residencies are a useful route for barbecue businesses because they let cooks reach a new audience without immediately taking on the cheerful financial terror of opening another permanent site. For customers, it means something genuinely different appearing in an established venue.
It also sounds like a fairly sensible reason to visit Stratford, to be honest.
See the Rack City Ribs residency details
Austin Barbecue Arrives at The Ned for £150 a Tray
Austin barbecue restaurants InterStellar BBQ and La Barbecue have teamed up for a London residency at The Ned’s Electric Bar & Diner. Both restaurants received Michelin stars in 2024, so this is not simply a themed menu with a bit of sauce brushed over it.
The headline price is £150 for a barbecue tray for two. The reported tray brings together dishes from both restaurants, including peach tea glazed pork belly, pulled lamb shoulder, chimichurri beef short rib, pork ribs and chopped cheese sausage, plus a collection of sides.
If that does not quite finish the job, La Barbecue brisket for two can be added for another £50.
£150 for a tray, then another £50 for brisket. I mean . . . it had better be very good brisket.
I have not eaten it, so I’m not going to declare it brilliant or ridiculous from a distance. What is interesting is the position barbecue now occupies in the UK. Serious American barbecue can command serious restaurant money and take over space in one of London’s most prestigious hospitality venues.
There is also a fair question about what people are paying for. It is not merely the raw cost of meat. It is the pitmasters, the time, the venue, the rarity of the collaboration and the chance to try food from two acclaimed Austin businesses without buying a flight to Texas. Whether that adds up to £150 is for each person to decide.
The collaboration is running during September and through 4 October. Check The Ned’s live listing before travelling, as published information has differed slightly over the precise opening date.
See the current listings at The Ned
WYLD Brings Live-Fire Cooking to Newcastle
WYLD is due to open at Freight Island in Newcastle on Friday 25 September, bringing together a live-fire restaurant, late-night cocktail bar and stage.
The kitchen is led by executive chef Nick Grieves and senior sous chef Lawrence Norman. Its menu is being built around seasonal North East produce, with an open kitchen allowing the smoke, flames and embers to become part of the experience rather than something hidden behind a door.
This is the wider trend I like seeing. Live-fire cooking is no longer confined to specialist smokehouses and BBQ festivals. It is becoming a much more visible part of mainstream restaurant culture, with chefs using fire as a proper cooking technique rather than a bit of theatre added at the end.
It is good to see more of that activity outside London too. The UK BBQ scene is national, and the restaurant coverage should probably remember that more often.
Read more about WYLD in Newcastle
UK BBQ Events Happening This Weekend
If you are reading this while deciding what to do with the weekend, there is rather a lot happening. These are diary listings rather than newly announced stories, but they are useful right now.
Meatopia London
3 to 6 September 2026 | Tobacco Dock, London
Meatopia is back at Tobacco Dock with up to 75 chefs appearing across the festival and each creating a dish over live fire. It runs until Sunday 6 September, with wood, charcoal, food, drinks and music filling the venue.
See the Meatopia London details
Bristol Wing Fest
4 to 6 September 2026 | The Prospect Building, Bristol
Eighteen street food traders, restaurants and BBQ teams are serving a reported 100,000 wings across the weekend. Visitors and judges get to decide who is doing them best, alongside live music, entertainment and eating competitions. Final tickets were still being advertised when checked.
See the Bristol Wing Fest details
Penzance Food Festival
3 to 6 September 2026 | Penlee Park, Penzance | Free entry
Four days of food, live cooking, workshops, music and Cornish producers are taking over Penlee Park. Entry to the main festival is free, which is increasingly rare enough to deserve its own small round of applause.
See what’s on at Penzance Food Festival
FÝR Fest
Saturday 5 September 2026 | JÖRO, Oughtibridge Mill near Sheffield
JÖRO’s annual live-fire BBQ festival runs from midday to 5pm, with a menu inspired by the restaurant team’s travels, plus drinks and music. The organisers make the point that this is their own approach to cooking over fire rather than traditional barbecue, which sounds like a useful distinction rather than a warning.
Coming Up in UK BBQ
Borough Market Flame & Smoke
Thursday 10 September 2026 | Borough Market, London
Borough Market is opening after hours for an evening dedicated to cooking over fire. Traders and restaurants will be serving one-off dishes, with demonstrations, masterclasses, conversations with chefs and producers, and a communal food hall. Entry tickets are listed at £7 plus a booking fee, with food and drink bought separately.
See the Flame & Smoke event details
SizzleFest 2026
Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2026 | Southampton | Sold out
SizzleFest returns for its sixth year with BBQ, live-fire food, drinks, brands, demonstrations and country music. All tickets are currently marked as sold out, so this is useful information for people who already have them rather than a cruel reminder for everybody else.
A sell-out event is still worth mentioning because it says something healthy about demand for BBQ gatherings in the UK. If you are going, I suspect you will not be short of people to talk to.
See the latest SizzleFest information
Ludlow Food Festival and Friday Fire Night
11 to 13 September 2026 | Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Food Festival runs across three days, with its separate Friday Fire Night taking place in the Inner Bailey from 6.30pm to 10pm on 11 September.
Fire Night tickets are listed at £7.50 and are not included with daytime festival entry. The main exhibitors will be closed during the evening event, so check exactly what your ticket covers before turning up with grand plans and an empty stomach.
See the Ludlow Friday Fire Night details
Quick Smoke Signals
National Chilli Awards 2026 Results
The National Chilli Awards 2026 results page is live, although I could not verify precisely when the page was published. Treat this as a recently surfaced result worth browsing rather than a claim that every award was announced during the last seven days.
In the BBQ chilli sauce category, Big Ginger Sauce Co Rebel took gold and the category win. Mr Vikki’s Harry’s BBQ Sauce and Mamboooh Hot Plum BBQ also received gold awards.
Elsewhere, Chilli Pete Creole Seasoning won gold and the chilli rubs and seasonings category.
There are far worse ways to lose an evening than browsing award-winning sauces and deciding your fridge definitely has room for another bottle. It probably does not, but that has rarely stopped any of us.
See the full National Chilli Awards results
Two BBQ Classes for the Diary
Kamado Joe Mediterranean BBQ Class
Sunday 13 September at Polhill BBQ School. The five-hour hands-on class is listed at £150 per person and includes eating what you cook.
See Polhill’s current BBQ events and classes
Fish Barbecue Masterclass
Saturday 12 September at London Barbecue School. The morning session runs from 10am to 1.30pm and is listed at £135. It was showing one place remaining when checked on 5 September. The afternoon session was fully booked.
See the London Barbecue School class calendar
What Have I Missed?
Right, that is enough from me for this week.
Have I missed something happening near you? Tell me about a local BBQ event, a new smokehouse, a live-fire restaurant opening, a new rub or sauce worth knowing about, or simply what you have been cooking this week.
Especially if there is food involved . . . obviously.
