Bun & Sum wins ‘Best Chef’ National Burger Awards 2024

Alhamdulilah, we persereved and won. It’s an amazing thing to do for the Muslim community by showing that our burgers are also now on the map – Farbez Uddin, Bun & Sum owner

The owner behind an independent UK Halal burger brand has been crowned this year’s National Burger Awards’ chef of the year.

Farbez Uddin of Bun & Sum in east London was awarded the coveted prize for his mouthwatering ‘George Motz Oklahoma Smash’.

Having missed out on the top prize of ‘best burger of the year’, which went to London-based Bleeckers, Bun & Sum’s award does technically make its smashed burger the best Halal burger in the UK.

Farbez Uddin told FtLion: “Very humbling experience. I didn’t expect us to win. But to win something was amazing.

“We were the only Halal Muslim competitor [in this year’s competition] which made it even more daunting. But alhamdulilah [all praise is due to God], we persereved and won. It’s an amazing thing to do for the Muslim community by showing that our burgers are also now on the map.”

Farbez Uddin also revealed that his aim now is to take part in the more prestigious ‘Champion of Champion’ awards taking place later this year in September before adding: “Hopefully we can bring it home then too.”

Located on Eleanor Street in Bow Triangle Business Centre, FtLion went to try their meticulously-researched American LA-style burgers last year, with their ‘Pastrami Burger’ being nominated for the #FtLionAwards 2023 ‘Best Burger’ category.

After launching in 2021, Bun & Sum quickly acquired a reputation with several high-profile food influencers having praised them for their quality of produce.

The burger brand is known for smoking its own meat using an onsite smoking apparatus that results in pastrami that’s been smoked for a solid 12-hours and ribs for at least five.

In 2018, another Muslim, Abdussamed Aykac, won National Burger Awards 2018‘s best burger by producing the ‘Juicy Classic’ (also Halal) for London restaurant Cut + Grind.