JOHN CARTER and family step into the ring for a knockout meal thanks to a new burger delivery service

IF THERE was a heavyweight championship of the world for takeaways, I’ve just found a serious new challenger.

Stepping forward ready to deliver a knockout blow to the Chinese, Indian, kebab and pizza houses of this town is Moody Burgers. Promising to deliver restaurant-quality burgers to your front door, Moody’s is equipped to go toe-to-toe with the best of them.

And when its menu dropped through our front door and my partner suggested we give it a try, I was more than ready to rise to the challenge.

I’ll confess now that, like a boxer addicted to daily sparring sessions in the gym, I’m addicted to chomping my way through the biggest, juiciest burgers on any menu. It takes a lot for me to be persuaded otherwise, and I feel like I’ve cheated my body if I plump for pasta, pizza or something which might suggest I’m losing my manliness.

So a takeaway burger landing on my doorstep was always going to be a winner of devastating magnitude.

Moody’s menu is strong enough to floor the strongest of rivals, packed with a dozen different burgers. Made from 100 per cent British beef, burgers are served in a brioche bun, on a bed of crisp lettuce, with tomatoes, rings of red onion and Moody’s signature home sauce.

I was licking my lips as I made my way down the contenders before targeting a showdown with a Mac Attack (£8.95). Described as the Mac Daddy of burgers, it comes topped with a Mac & cheese fritter and smoky, streaky bacon, drizzled in a dreamy cheese sauce.

Being a typical male, I’m never happy if what arrives on my plate fails to knock me sideways in terms of quantity. I needn’t have worried in this case, as what arrived in the cardboard carton (within the specified delivery promise of an hour) was big enough to satisfy all appetites. It sure was something to grapple with as I struggled to get my jaws around the giant feast in front of me. And boy, it tasted good too.

In contrast to me, the only time I’ve ever seen my partner order a burger from the menu is when she’s nursing the mother of all hangovers. I took it as a triumph in the early days of our relationship when I persuaded her to venture into a kebab shop and actually order a lamb doner.

So she was out of her comfort zone as she perused the Moody menu before proving herself to be a game fighter and opting for the vegetarian Earth burger (£7.95). Some might say that there’s a little bit of cheating going on in ordering a burger with a little less moo, but I was happy to overlook her choice of a bun filled with Portobello mushroom and halloumi. I had a Mac Attack to destroy, after all.

Also joining in this all-comers’ challenge were my children Millie, 16, and Austin, 13.

Millie decided on the Bacon Cheese combo (£7.95), a classic house burger topped with smoky, streaky bacon and Monterey Jack Cheese. And the judge’s verdict? Knockout stuff.

Austin, challenged with removing cheese from his diet, asked for a slight modification on his sister’s choice, replacing the Monterey Jack with a giant onion ring. He, too, was floored by the taste of it all.

If burgers aren’t your thing, Moody’s still delivers big-style with its choice of The Big Dogg (£6.95, a Bratwurst sausage coated in cheese, mustard, ketchup and onion) and a Chilli dogg (£6.95, dripping in chilli beef, cheese sauce and jalapenos).

There are also fries loaded with all kinds of combinations, buckets of all sizes crammed with chicken wings, and a variety of sides.

Three of us opted for salted fries (£2.50 each), and my partner went for sweet potato fries (£3), but as game as I am, I reckon two portions would have been sufficient to satisfy our stomachs.

With milkshakes, desserts, beers, ciders, wine and soft drinks, Moody’s has created a takeaway menu to match the finest around. But after climbing through the ropes to take on the challenge, there was no way a championship belt was going to fit round my waist once I’d destroyed all before me.

Instead of floating like a butterfly and dancing on the canvas, the only place I was heading for was the comfort of my mattress to sleep it all off.

MOODY BURGERS

Swindon

Tel: 01793 286590

www.moodyburgers.co.uk

Adver ratings:

Food: 9/10

Choice: 10/10

Decor: 10/10 (well, we’ve just decorated our lounge)

Customer service: 9/10

Main course prices from £6.95 to £10.95

Trip Advisor rating: None found