The UK’s leading pub company and brewer, Greene King has launched an unusual new dish, the nation’s first ever green burger.
The brightly coloured burger has been unveiled by Greene King and Hungry Horse as part of its partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, and features either a crispy chicken or grilled beef patty, topped with a layer of fajita seasoned mac ‘n’ cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo, all sandwiched between two vibrant green burger buns, which have been ‘dyed’ with spinach to match the charity’s iconic green branding.
As well as tasting good, the eye-catching dish will also do good, as £1 from every green burger sold will be donated towards Macmillan’s fundraising efforts, helping the charity continue its essential work providing physical, financial and emotional support for those affected by cancer.
The burger, which has been named the ‘Greene Warrior’ is available now in 600 pubs nationwide, including Hungry Horse, Flaming Grill and Greene King Value Local pubs. With prices starting at £7.49 including the £1 Macmillan donation, the limited-edition burger will be up for grabs until 30 September, or while stocks last.
The launch of the boldly coloured dish comes during a challenging year for Macmillan, which has reported significant losses in donations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The charity anticipates a loss of 35-50% of its fundraising revenue this year which it uses to deliver vital services to people living with cancer and to people working in the NHS.
Since partnering with Macmillan in 2014, Greene King team members and guests have raised over £7m for the charity, with its annual ‘Macmillan May’ initiative, which was postponed until September due to Covid-19, previously expected to raise around £1million in donations.
Pubs will be supporting the fundraising efforts throughout this month with a number of activities in line with its PUBSAFE guidelines, from Macmillan coffee mornings, to virtual fun runs and pub quizzes.
Andy Wilson, managing director of destination food brands at Greene King, said, “It’s been a challenging year for Macmillan which is experiencing a fundraising crisis due to Covid-19, so we hope the launch of our new green burger will help provide guests with a quirky, and delicious way of helping to support the charity at a time of need.
“While it might look slightly unusual, the Greene Warrior is a delicious way to do your bit for a very important cause – with its eye-catching appearance, tasty chicken or beef patty and ‘Macmillan’ mac ‘n’ cheese filling, it’s guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser for local burger lovers. We can’t wait to welcome our locals in to give it a try – your friends will be green with envy!”
Rachel Gascoigne, senior partnerships manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Our partnership with Greene King is so successful and our sincere thanks go to their customers and team members. We are almost entirely reliant on the generosity of our partners and the public and are grateful to Greene King and Hungry Horse for their kind donation on every Greene Warrior burger and Mint-Millan dessert purchased in September.”