Five Guys might have been born in Virginia, and it certainly has an American accent, but if you look under the bonnet here in the UK, it runs on British farming.
In support our homegrown agricultural heroes, Five Guys is committed to a locally sourced, British-backed strategy across its UK stores. That means going all-in on using locally sourced British potatoes for their legendary hand-cut fries, and locally reared British beef for their patties. (Alright, for full transparency, a minimal amount of Irish-farmed beef is held in reserve for some stores just in case, but the chain’s commitment to a British-backed supply chain is absolute).
Because Five Guys shares our views with homegrown ingredients, they’ve made the very wise decision to add Hawkstone Cider to their menu, sitting proudly alongside our famously good Hawkstone Premium Lager. It’s the holy agricultural trinity: British beef, British potatoes, and proper, 100% British apple cider.
To celebrate the coming together of brilliant food and brilliant booze, we subjected Kaleb Cooper to the ordeal of leaving the farm. After wrestling him out of his tractor, we wrestled him into a fetching red-and-white checkerboard Five Guys uniform and put him to work on the grill at the Cheltenham restaurant.
Frankly, the sight of Kaleb in a restaurant kitchen, trying to operate a burger press rather than a cultivator, is something that will stay with us for a very long time. As you may have seen on social media, it was hilarious. He was initially confused by the lack of diesel and mud, but once he realised the sheer volume of British potatoes and fresh British beef involved in the operation, he was as happy as a pig in the proverbial.
Kaleb Cooper, Hawkstone Cider’s Head of Apples (and Tractors), commented: “I’m not one for leaving the farm. In fact, I hate being out of my comfort zone. But when I found out Five Guys are committed to using British produce, I reckon it was worth the trip. The red and white uniform is a bit bright for my liking, and they tried to tell me there are 250,000 ways to order a burger, which frankly makes my head hurt. But you can’t argue with the results. And epic bacon cheeseburger, a mountain of fries, and my cider. It’s basically a farmer’s dream, even if I did have to leave the tractor at home.”
Hawkstone Cider and Hawkstone Premium Lager are available now in Five Guys restaurants. So, the next time you’re craving a bespoke burger, a famously generous portion of fries, and maybe even a bacon milkshake, do the right thing and pair it with a proper British pint.
