BEEF BURGERS (MAKES 4-6) 

Burgers are a really personal taste.  Some people like lots of additional ingredients, whilst others prefer just beef. Feel free to add extra cooked grated vegetables, herbs and spices, or even some blitzed up bacon.  Some people like to bulk out the mince with breadcrumbs, which you can do but you will need to then add an egg yolk to bind the mixture. However you like your burgers, the important thing is to use good quality beef mince with a high fat content (ideally over 15% so don’t choose any lean mince options) as the fat keeps the meat moist while it cooks. 

Olive oil for frying
Optional:  1 onion, diced
500g minced beef
salt and pepper
optional:  handful chopped herbs (parsley or thyme)
optional extras: chlli, finely chopped bacon, dried herbs   

• If you are adding onion, place it in a frying pan with a little oil over a low heat and cook until soft and lightly browned. Allow to cool
• Place the mince in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Stir through any cooked onion, herbs or additional ingredients until well combined.
• Form the mince into 4 burgers – a burger press really helps to hold the burgers together without the need for egg.
• Place a large frying pan / griddle pan over a med-high heat. Allow the pan to heat up, then add the burgers. Leave them to cook undisturbed for 3 or 4 minutes, then turn them over and cook on the other side for a further 3 minutes or 4 minutes.  Continue to cook the burgers, turning them over regularly so that they cook evening, until they are cooked through to your liking (about 8-10 minutes depending on how thick the burger is).  If you find that your burgers are burning on the outside before they are cooked through, preheat the oven to 180*c and transfer them to an oven dish and finish them in the oven

VEGGIE BURGERS  (MAKES 6-8)

Carrot, sweet potato and butterbean burgers 

Olive or coconut oil for frying
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, grated
1 small sweet potato, grated
optional additional veg:  swap in some grated beetroot, diced mushrooms, diced red pepper for some of the grated carrot
2 gloves garlic, crushed
optional: 2 cm ginger, finely chopped
optional: ½ red chilli, diced
2 tsp cumin
optional:  2 tsp curry powder
optional: ½ tsp smoked paprika
1 cup/400g tin butterbeans
zest of lemon plus a squeeze of lemon juice
Handful of fresh herbs
100g cooked rice / quinoa / seeds / chopped nuts
3 tbsp flour / gram flour / buckwheat flour
salt and pepper

– Cook the rice/quinoa if you are using it. Once cooked, cool it down as quickly as possible and set aside.

 – Place a tbsp. of oil in a pan and add the onion, carrot and sweet potato. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften

– Add the garlic (and chilli and ginger if you are using them) along with the spices and cook for 2 minutes

– Drain and rinse the beans. Place them in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth.  Stir through the fried vegetables.  Add the fresh herbs, cooked rice/quinoa/seeds/chopped nuts and flour.  Season well with salt and pepper and stir until well combined.

– Form the mixture into 4 or 6 burgers and place them on a plate.  Cover and leave to set up in the fridge for 30 minutes.  

– Preheat the oven to 180*c.  Place 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the burgers for a couple of minutes on each side until they are golden and crisp, then transfer them to an oven dish and finish them in the oven for 10 minutes.  Serve immediately with wedges / burger buns / coleslaw (see below).

COLESLAW

Coleslaw is a great way to use up vegetables from the fridge.  Add whatever you have provided it isn’t too watery. 

¼ white cabbage
¼ red cabbage
2 carrots, grated
optional: ½ apple, grated
optional: handful chopped fresh herbs
optional: 3 spring onions, finely sliced
optional: handful mixed seeds
optional: handful sultanas
optional: ½ tsp fennel or caraway seeds
3-4 tbsp mayonnaise
1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 tsp apple cider vinegar / lemon juice
1 tbsp water
salt and pepper

– Finely chop the cabbage and place in a bowl with the carrots and apple.  Stir through any additional ingredients that you are adding. 

– in a separate bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar/lemon and water and season well with salt and pepper.

– Stir the mayonnaise mixture through the vegetables and adjust the seasoning with extra mustard / lemon juice / salt and pepper.

 QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBER

1 cucumber 
2 tsp salt 
1 tbsp white wine / rice vinegar 
2 tsp caster sugar 
½ tsp salt 
optional: coriander seeds / dill 

 – Cut the cucumber into ribbons using a peeler.  Place them in a sieve over a bowl, sprinkle them with 2 tsp salt and leave them for 5-10 minutes to drain out the liquid.  Rinse off the salt and squeeze out any moisture in a clean tea towel. 

– Combine the vinegar, caster sugar and ½ tsp salt and pour over the cucumber ribbons.  If you would like the cucumber to be soft, leave it to marinade for a couple of hours

OVEN CHIPS / POTATO WEDGES 

500g fluffy potatoes (maris piper / king edward)
4 tbsp olive oil
generous pinch of sea salt 

– Preheat the oven to 200*c.  Oil a roasting tray with 2 tbsp oil so that the chips don’t stick

– Cut the potatoes into chips or wedges and place in a bowl with 2 tbsp oil and the sea salt.  Toss together until well coated.

– Spread the chips out on the roasting tray in an even layer.  Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden on the outside and fluffy on the inside, turning them every 10 minutes so that they don’t stick and burn.