I visited one of the 'best pubs in the Midlands' and had best burgers I've ever had

When the regional winners of the National Pub and Bar Awards 2024 were announced last week, there was one local winner that took me completely by surprise. Clinching the title of best in Worcestershire is Big Mouths Kitchen, set up by Kidderminster chef Todd Turner in Stourport last year after progressing from a street food van.

BMK Stourport in Bridge Street serves up huge burgers, loaded chips and roast dinners on Sundays. It now has the chance to be named best in the UK at a national final on June 26.

I don't live too far away from BMK so I knew I needed to try it out. I quickly reserved a table for an evening and persuaded my partner to come with me to try the burgers. Who am I kidding? As soon as I showed him the bar's menu he was game.

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We headed down there and at first, I thought we were in the wrong place! Tucked away in one of Stourport's busiest streets is where you'll find BMK - and it looks a lot smaller on the outside. We entered through the red telephone box doors and behind a red curtain, it was really busy! There's only seating for probably 30 people max and there was one table spare for us.

We sat down and started picking our choices from the menu. As well as their burgers, BMK has some serious cocktail game - with cheeky twists on your classics including Sex on the Stour and Dirty Stop Out.

But when Tom came over to take our order and started to tell us about the locally-sourced beers and ciders they had on tap, the cocktails immediately left my mind. Instead I was completely sold on Herefordshire-based Snail Bank's raspberry ripple cider (£5). It might be the nicest fruit cider I've ever tried, so sweet and tasted exactly like ice cream. While my partner opted for a lager shandy (£5) from Bromsgrove-based Brewery 61.

We made our menu choices and opted to share two sides too. There's beef and chicken burgers, as well as five veggie option burgers which is great. For sides you can also pick between chicken wings and strips, or cauliflower wings, with a range of toppings, as well as 'filthy fries' and mac and cheese. Desserts include brownies, waffles and 'BMK Loaded Cheesecake'. We waited roughly 25 to 30 minutes for our food to arrive. But it was completely worth the wait.

I opted for the 'Call Me Daddy' (£9.50) consisting of two smashed patties, mac and cheese, burger relish, chicken nugget, crispy onion and lettuce housed in a brioche bun. I can say now it was the best burger I have ever eaten.

The patties were beautifully cooked while the mac and cheese and chicken nugget added a whole new element. The burger relish was sweet and tangy. I had to cut the burger in half as it was so huge and even then it was falling apart. But the messiness was worth every second.

My other half chose the 'Triple H' burger (£9.50) which also had two smashed patties with chilli con carne, chilli cheese, mayo, nachos, jalapenos and lettuce in a brioche bun. Just from the quick bite I had, it was a taste sensation. It had a real kick from the chilli con carne but there was so many other flavours coming through too. We both sat in near enough silence - that's when you know the food is good.

We shared some of BMK's filthy fries, choosing the 'Piggie Smalls' (£7) - seasoned fries, BBQ pulled pork, cheese sauce, BBQ sauce, mayo and frazzles. Yes you heard right frazzles! These were in-credible. All the flavours coming together with the add crunch of the crisps was divine.

Our second side, the 'BMK Mac and Cheese' (£5.50) with crispy onions and Wotsits (you read it right again, more crisps!) wasn't as flavoursome but still enjoyable. There wasn't a strong cheese flavour to them but I really enjoyed the onions and Wotsits adding a different texture.

Special shout out to the staff too. Tom who served us was amazing and a real credit to BMK. He was so knowledgeable and was happy to chat through the menu - and also told us about their Tapas Thursdays and Sunday roasts. They sound incredible by the way, we will back for sure.

We were full to the brim and absolutely loved the food. And for under £45 for the two of us we thought was really reasonable. We can see why the place is so popular - the atmosphere was vibrant and friendly.

I'm definitely planning my return - that Sunday roast is on my list. Yum! We're routing for you in the national finals BMK! Good luck.

Disclaimer: This review was independent and paid for by the reviewer - with all opinion's the writer's own.