Home chef Brock Boslem dishes up his burger entry for the Burger WellingtIN cook-off. Photo / Visa Wellington On A Plate
Home chef Brock Boslem dishes up his burger entry for the Burger WellingtIN cook-off. Photo / Visa Wellington On A Plate
A primary school teacher from the Kāpiti Coast asked her husband over lockdown what he most wanted in a burger.
His "random list of things" became one of 400 creations made by home cooks around the capital, and the winning entry of Burger WellingtIN – the lockdown version of one of the capital's most beloved foodie festivals.
After the announcement of lockdown interrupted Burger Wellington – a component of Visa Wellington on a Plate – hungry home cooks took to their own kitchens instead, to craft the capital's most creative burger with the hashtag #BurgerWellingtIN.
On Wednesday three finalists showed off their lockdown burgers in a cook-off at Wellington's Burger Liquor, where a panel of four judges crowned Catherine Clare as the winner for the "Loosen up my Buckle" burger.
A mum and teacher on the Kāpiti Coast, Clare said the burger's ingredients were inspired by her husband.
"I said 'what would you like on a burger' and he gave me this random list of things, so it all just went into the bun and we ended up with the burger."
The winning burger features a pork and chorizo patty with blue cheese sauce, smokey onion relish and crispy maple bacon chips. Photo / Visa Wellington on A Plate
Encased in a Pakn'Save special Kaiser bun was a pork and chorizo patty with blue cheese sauce, smokey onion relish and crispy maple bacon chips, served alongside wedges and Pickle-naise.
Clare said it was only the second time she had made the "Loosen up my Buckle Burger".
"Last night I thought I'd better give it a whirl but I burnt it because I was putting the baby to bed, so today was only round two."
But after today's unexpected win, she said she'd be likely eating it for the next two weeks as all her family and friends requested the recipe.
Catherine Clare and her "Loosen up my buckle" Burger. Photo / Visa Wellington on a Plate
The finalists were given 20 minutes to recreate their lockdown burger entries in the Burger Liquor kitchen, before presenting them to a panel of four judges.
Fellow contestant Dharun Arasu had enjoyed cooking over lockdown with his flatmate, and had created all elements of his burger "The Mighty Meaty" from scratch.
Inspired by one of his favourite burgers at Wellington bar The Arborist, it consisted of a venison patty, with streaky bacon, smoked cheese, caramelised onion, sauteed spinach, tomato parmesan chutney and pickled onion - all in a homemade garlic bun.
"I got my inspiration from one of the restaurants, The Arborist – they had a good burger and I wanted to recreate it," Arasu said.
"Venison is one of my favourites, and venison patty is not highly used so I wanted to try it."
Brock Boslem and his burger Bibim-BAP. Photo / Visa Wellington on a Plate
The third contestent Brock Boslem had created a Korean inspired "Bibim-BAP", and was praised by the judges for having the most "innovative" burger.
"Bibimbap is a Korean dish that is made of rice and what's left over in the fridge. What I've got is beef patties seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce, a touch of garlic.
"I've got the buns of the burger made from sushi rice, and they're going to be seasoned with some sesame oil, topping it all with seasoned bean sprouts, shitake mushrooms, kimchi, Kewpie mayo and runny fried egg."
The burger was served alongside popcorn and black beans, and he recommended it be paired with a Pickle beer from Garage Project.
The four judges spent some time deliberating. Photo / Visa Wellington On A Plate
The three burgers were judged by Visa Wellington On a Plate Programme Manager Beth Brash, Soul Shack head chef Rick Unuia, Burger Liquor head chef Lam Nguyen and Garage Project's Ash James, who deliberated for about 15 minutes.
While all three entries were worthy of being on a Wellington on a Plate menu, judge Beth Brash said Clare's stood out for being accessible for others to recreate.
"She'd gone to the supermarket and used ingredients that we can all use … it felt really accessible and now we want the recipe," she said.
"It was something you could see in Burger Wellington in general and I would eat all three again."
Judge and Visa Wellington on a Plate programme manager Beth Brash tucks into a burger. Photo / Visa Wellington On A Plate
Brash said the Interest in the BurgerWellingtIN challenge had blown them away, with more than 400 entries made to Instagram throughout level 3 and 4.
"Lockdown happened a few days into Burger Wellington, and with the momentum we had around the festival itself ... you could just see that everyone was still feeling it," she said.
"You could really feel the energy, so we thought why don't we put it back into their hands."
She said the entries had been whittled down to three by the festival's team, who would choose a daily winner over messenger each night.
They shortlisted entries based on the photography, clever names, creativity and use of local ingredients.
The official Burger Wellington runs until Sunday October 3, after being extended an additional four weeks after the end of lockdown.
