"With a good burger, you want to hold it in your hand and ram it in your mouth – it’s very primal. It’s an experience that has the ‘mmm’ factor to it.”

Paul Clark, founder of The Troll’s Pantry, was first inspired to launch his own ethical burger van when he came across MEATwagon in London – the precursor to the MEATliquor chain, which opened its first venue outside the capital in Brighton last week.

“One of the reasons I started is because I’m passionate about local produce,” he says, only a few weeks on from opening his second pub venue in The Brunswick, following on from his successful residency at The Hobgoblin in York Place.

“I have always eaten ethically and locally and wanted to transfer my own experiences by producing burgers that didn’t cost £13 or £14 but had that same quality.”

He could also see the burger revolution was set to make inroads into Brighton.

“I knew I had to get in now and be at the forefront, rather than be hanging on at the end,” he says. “The burger had been done so badly for so long people had forgotten how good it could be.”

The Troll’s Pantry began as a burger van, which could be found at Brighton’s Wood Recycling Store from the spring of 2012.

Clark closed that pitch to take on a permanent site at The Hobgoblin in March, which is still being run by his partner Chloe.

“I felt like I had taken it as far as I could at The Hobgoblin,” he says of the move to The Brunswick. “I really wanted to do some next-level burgers, working in a proper kitchen with proper equipment.”

He was also looking for a laidback environment for his brand of sustainable and ethical food – and The Brunswick, with its regular jazz nights and support of the local music scene, seemed to fit the bill.

Flavour explosion

He has built on his signature burger The Smoky Mountain – combining bacon, Olde English spiced and Langhams beer barbecue sauce, smoked Sussex cheese, vine tomato, garlic mayo and salad, with his 35-day-aged English Longhorn burgers.

At The Brunswick they are now known as the Legend Of Smoky Mountain, encompassing some of the different variations the burger has gone through over the last two years. At present, burgers are being sold in the evenings only.

“If you want to taste the beef, you should go for an Imperial burger,” he says. “The Smoky Mountain is a flavour explosion in your mouth.”

Clark is branching out - having produced his first ethical Sunday roasts last weekend, including slow-cooked brisket and game.

“I’m trying to transfer the ethos of the burgers to the Sunday roast,” he says.

As to what makes a good burger, he believes there are lots of different factors.

“The quality of the meat is important – you have to have a decent fat content,” he says. “A lot of pub burgers are bound together with onions and breadcrumbs.

“The bun is important too – you want to be able to bite into it, but you also need it to be a vehicle for holding the meat.

“I make the buns by hand, using organic ingredients. I spent a year trying different recipes. I can’t imagine a better bun to be honest – I don’t think any of my rivals have got it right yet.”

  • The Troll's Pantry At The Brunswick, Holland Road, Hove, 01273 733984
  • The Brunswick: Open Mon to Thurs noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm, Fri and Sat noon to 10pm, Sun noon to 9pm.
  • The Hobgoblin: Open Tues to Thurs noon to 2.30pm and 6pm to 9pm, Fri and Sat noon to 10pm, Sun 1pm to 3pm.
  • Visit thetrollspantry.wordpress.com