A NEW burger and cocktail restaurant is opening in Evesham.

StirrUps is the brainchild of best friends Darren Strickland and Stuart Bailey.

The pair, both Evesham locals, have spent more than 20 years working in kitchens between them and the restaurant held its behind closed-doors event this week.

Former jockey Jonjo O’Neill, Wales rugby union fly-half Nick Robinson, and Worcester Warriors players were among the attendees at an opening event on Monday, October 18.

Residents can visit the restaurant for the first time when it opens on October 20.

The business began life as a gin bar run out of a converted horsebox – hence the name.

But the pandemic meant the business had to evolve quickly and major events were cancelled.

The pair then decided to turn it into a burger delivery service – specifically for indulgent ‘dirty’ burgers with street-food-style chips – alongside their cocktails, and created a small home-kitchen to base themselves.

It proved so successful that Darren and Stuart set their sights on opening a permanent restaurant at the former Outside Inn in Evesham town centre after investment from Evesham businessman Dan Walker, whose family founded flooring company Karndean.

“The suppliers in and around Evesham are absolutely fantastic,” Mr Strickland said.

“This starts with the meat for our burgers. Our mince and brisket comes from Everess Farm in Gloucester from grass-fed Gloucester cattle, a rare breed that came close to extinction if it wasn’t for breeding operations like at Everess.

“Our sauces come from a fantastic company called Tubby Toms, another Gloucester business, who make absolutely delicious products which truly take our burgers to the next level.

“And we source our brioche buns from Ma Baker in Worcester, who make their rolls using a unique Japanese recipe which produces a soft, yet robust bun to house our big, saucy burgers.

“Working with local suppliers is a big part of our ethos at StirrUps – we’re Evesham boys at heart and we place a lot of importance on working with the great companies around us.”

The restaurant will be across two floors, with the cocktail bar on the ground floor and further seating on the first floor. At full capacity, StirrUps can serve around 80 covers.