Folk flipping over burgers

People are coming from far and wide to taste the delights of a burger van which has gone viral online.

Eighteen months ago, Peter Wilson was a forklift truck driver making burgers in his flat as part of his passion for the patty.

Now, his business, ZaHut’s Burgers, has gained more than 17,000 followers on Facebook and led people to come all the way from Edinburgh to try his patties sold from a cabin in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

The self-taught chef is now planning to open a restaurant in his hometown of Stanley, Co Durham. Peter said: “I haven’t really got any experience as a chef, I started cooking at home and impressing myself and I started selling them.”

After creating a special Irn Bru burger, which included sauce flavoured with the orange fizzy drink, haggis and Lorne sausage, ZaHut gained a strong following in Scotland.

Peter was surprised by the dedication of a couple who crossed the border to try the unusual treat.

“I was a bit blown away. I thought they were taking the mick at first,” he said.

Peter’s cabin is located next to Namaste, an Indian restaurant known for its appearance on Come Dine With Me: The Professionals.

In 2023, they paired up to create a unique burger, using Peter’s patties and Namaste’s vibrant chicken tikka masala sauce and crispy onion bhajis.

ZaHut has glowing reviews online. One happy customer wrote: “This place is a hidden gold gem! Only went here as a spur of the moment thing and my god I wasn’t disappointed.

“Burger was phenomenal and the loaded fries were some of the best I’ve had.”