At Gurt Wings, what started as one man’s love for fried chicken has grown into an award-winning street food brand. From testing recipes in a garage to opening restaurants across the South West, here’s how our journey came to life.
It All Started With a Wing
Before Gurt Wings, our founder Gurty (James) worked a corporate job importing food from around the world. During regular trips to the US, he fell in love with American fried chicken—especially Buffalo wings. When he returned home, he quickly noticed the UK lacked the same bold wing flavour.
Determined to change that, he began experimenting. After months of testing coatings, sauces and frying techniques in his garage, he finally nailed it. The result? “The One”—a Southern-style fried wing finished in bold Buffalo sauce. It’s the same recipe we proudly use today.
Taking It to the Streets
In January 2017, Gurty decided to share his wings with the public. He bought a gazebo, a gas fryer, and began learning all the behind-the-scenes essentials—things like food hygiene, council approval and insurance.
By 21st April 2018, Gurt Wings made its first public appearance at Moor Beer Brewery in Bristol. The sun was shining, the crowd was buzzing and people loved the wings. That was, until a sudden downpour soaked the setup. Still, it didn’t dampen our spirits.
Just before that first event, Gurty’s best mate Chris (aka Chief) gifted him a Mercedes Sprinter van—branded and ready to go. Known as Gurtrude, this was our first food truck and a real game-changer. Today, she’s still in
use by our mates at Danny’s Burgers, based at Fierce & Noble Brewery.
Wing Fest Dreams
In August 2018, Gurt Wings made its debut at Wing Fest London. We served our Buffalo & Blue Cheese wings, alongside a Wild Wing infused with Somerset cider and pork scratchings. It paid off—we walked away with 3rd Place for Best Buffalo Wing. We were onto something.
Building the Base
In October 2021, we opened our first proper prep unit in Westmead, Swindon. This gave us the space to scale up and handle more events and street food markets across the region.
While based at Westmead, we also expanded our fleet—adding our first proper truck, Gurtrina, in November 2021, followed by Gurtha on 16th February 2024.
By late 2024, we moved again. This time to a much larger space—GCHQ (Gurt Chicken Headquarters) in South Marston. Now, we prep all of our food and sauces in-house. This has helped us maintain consistency and continue to grow.
Soon after settling into South Marston, we welcomed our third truck, Algurt Einstein, in February 2025—further expanding our ability to serve even more wing lovers across the South West.
From Street Food to Restaurants
In 2023, we returned to Wing Fest London and proudly took 1st Place Judges’ Choice for Best Buffalo Wing. It was a huge moment for us.
Then, on 16th January 2025, we opened our first permanent counter at Reading’s Blue Collar Corner. It was a big step, bringing our wings to a new, hungry crowd.
Just over a month later, on 27th February 2025, we launched our first full restaurant at Wapping Wharf in Bristol. Finally, we had a home in the city where it all began.
Looking Ahead
From a garage in Bristol to restaurants and our very own GCHQ, Gurt Wings has been shaped by passion, dedication, and a love for proper chicken. But this is just the start. We’re excited for what’s next—and we hope you’ll join us for the journey.
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