Turnbull's Northumbrian Food Hall in Alnwick has unveiled what could be the tournament's 'most unusual new signing': the Maradona's Hand of Pork Burger. This Argentinian-inspired pork burger is a playful tribute to one of football's most famous moments, launched ahead of England's World Cup semi-final clash against Argentina on Wednesday night.
Butchers recreate the 'Hand of God'
The idea came from butcher Alex, who spotted the opportunity to create a playful tribute. Working alongside fellow butcher Dan, the pair even recreated the iconic leap with a burger replacing the football. The burger is made using hand of pork and seasoned with garlic, parsley, oregano, smoked paprika and a touch of chilli, taking inspiration from the flavours of a traditional Argentinian asado.
Despite the humorous name, Turnbull's insists the burger is far more than just a gimmick. It has quickly become one of the team's favourite creations, with its carefully balanced seasoning allowing the quality of the pork to remain the star of the show.
Part of the World Cup Legends Range
The burger is the latest addition to Turnbull's hugely popular World Cup Legends Range, a collection of burgers and sausages celebrating iconic footballers, memorable tournaments and the countries that inspired them. The range includes Gazza-Mole Sausages, Shearer Burger, Beardsley Burger, Waddle-Ouse Toulouse Sausage, and Bobby's Italian Job Sausage.
Mark Turnbull, Managing Director of Turnbull's Northumbrian Food Hall, said: "The name gets people talking, but the burger itself is genuinely one of the nicest pork burgers I've ever tasted. Alex and Dan have done a fantastic job with it."
Quick turnaround from semi-final confirmation
Following a quick turnaround from Saturday night's game which saw England win 2-1 against Norway and Argentina score 3-1 against Switzerland on Sunday morning, the burger recipe was created and in the counter. Mark continued: "Of course when we got to the semi-final, which I wasn't sure if they would or not, I went into see the butcher team yesterday and said can we do something as Argentina has been brought into the mix."
Alex and Dan are the creative engine of the butchery team, always experimenting with new ideas and flavours. As soon as England were drawn against Argentina, Alex immediately suggested the hand of pork burger. Mark explained: "It's just his kind of sense of humour - our pork burgers are all made out of shoulder of pork, hence the hand of pork - so it just tickled us all, we thought it was hilarious."
Family business agility
Mark added: "That's one of the great advantages of being an independent family business. We can react quickly, have a bit of fun and create something completely unique for our customers. The seasoning is full of flavour without overpowering the pork, and it's become one of my favourite products we've created. If people come in because the name makes them smile, I'm confident they'll come back because the burger tastes so good."
The whole Legends Range has been about celebrating football with a smile while still creating products people genuinely want to eat. Mark said: "Retail should be fun. If we can make people smile, give them something to talk about and serve them a fantastic burger at the same time, we've done our job."
Divisive burger and match predictions
Mark says the burger could be a little bit divisive, and even jokes he hopes the Shearer burger outsells the Maradona. Reflecting on the 1986 hand of god incident, he said: "Anybody of my generation, I was about 15 in 1986, and I still remember being devastated at the time when Maradona did it. Then he went and scored one of the best goals probably in World Cup history in the same game. Now I've simmered about it and it's just a humorous way of looking at one of those great moments."
On his predictions for Wednesday's big game, Mark says he has a simple answer: "My heart says 2-1 to England. But my head fears the reverse. I genuinely would love them to win. I think we can 2-1 but my head's telling me it might go the other way. I'm crossing everything."
The Maradona's Hand of Pork Burger is available now from Turnbull's Northumbrian Food Hall in Alnwick for a limited time during England's World Cup campaign.
