HE is the king of roadside cuisine – and now he’s set to sign to the same agency as Gordon Ramsay and Marco Pierre White.

Carl Sampson, whose burger van on the A38 near Droitwich has been labelled as Britain’s best by The Times, is soon to be represented by ASL Celebrity Chefs.

And being on the firm’s books alongside household names and culinary experts marks a phenomenal turnaround for the Worcester burger guru.

Not long ago he was serving up low-quality meat as greasy roadside grub for hungry hauliers.

But he shot into the limelight in March after appearing on Channel 4’s Burger Bar to Gourmet Star – a challenge that saw him fast-tracked into the gastronomy big time, working at Michelin-starred restaurants and learning from the world’s top chefs.

And his progress hasn’t stalled since the show aired earlier this year.

He has ordered a bespoke van with double the capacity, achieved the highest possible food hygiene rating and diversified into performing cooking demos at food festivals and shows.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he’s created a signature burger sauce, added high quality coffee to his roadside offerings and even started looking into getting his secret recipe burgers onto the supermarket shelves.

But his biggest innovation has been his new Chinese flavoured burger, which has gone down a treat with his fans. One Facebook user called it a “great meaty burger with a lovely, different, fiery, mouth-tingling taste”.

Carl said: “Joining the agency is a great opportunity for me, as I’m sure they will have loads of great contacts to help me secure more bookings.

“I’m so lucky that I’m still in this bubble after being on Channel 4. Everything is going well, even though it has been a real whirlwind.

“I didn’t want to be a flash in the pan after my moment on TV so I’ve been taking baby steps forward and I’m happy with the way things are going.

“The show has kick-started me to go further and to be a success.

“My second burger, which I think is a world’s first, is outselling the original recipe.

“It has got a kind of Heston Blumenthal style to it. Your eyes think you’re going to eat a normal burger, but your taste buds experience a Chinese takeaway flavour.

“The feedback has been amazing and people are loving it – and I’ve got 11 more recipe ideas for the future.”

Carl’s burgers have some high profile fans too.

Daniel Clifford, the chef at double Michelin-starred Midsummer House in Cambridge, who mentored the Worcester man on Burger Bar to Gourmet Star, recently tasted the meaty masterpieces.

He tweeted: “They smell amazing…the burgers are world class.”