Countryside Grocer

Ingredients
100 g stale ciabatta
80 g mortadella
4 cloves of garlic , peeled
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , leaves picked
400 g quality beef mince
400 g higher-welfare pork mince
2 large free-range eggs
30 g Parmesan cheese , freshly grated
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
1 onion , peeled
½ a fresh red chilli , deseeded
1 x 450 g jar of roasted red peppers , in brine
50 ml white wine
2 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes
balsamic vinegar
150 g smoked mozzarella
12 soft bread rolls

Method
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas 7. Cut away and discard the ciabatta crusts, tear into chunks and place in a bowl. Cover with cold water and leave to soak. Meanwhile, finely slice the mortadella, 2 garlic cloves and the parsley leaves, then place into a large bowl with the mince, eggs and grated Parmesan. Squeeze the water out of the bread and add to the bowl.
With wet hands, scrunch and mix everything together, season well with salt and pepper, then divide and roll into 12 equal-sized balls. Place in a roasting tray (about 25cm x 30cm), drizzle over a little olive oil and place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up.
Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining garlic cloves, the onion and chilli. Drain and finely chop the peppers, reserving the brine. Place the meatballs into the hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden, shaking the tray from time to time to stop them from sticking, then place directly over a low heat on the hob. Add the wine, allow it to boil and bubble away, then stir in the onion, garlic and chilli and cook for a few minutes, or until turning golden. Stir in the pepper and brine, and the plum tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then season and add a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Return the tray to the hot oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through (if the meatballs start to golden too quickly, cover the tray loosely with tin foil). Cut the mozzarella into 12 slices, then carefully place on top of each meatball and return to the oven for a further minute, or until melted.
Open out the bread rolls, fill each with a cheesy meatball, spoon over the tomato sauce, then add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Push down on the sandwich to squidge it shut, then tuck in.

Ingredients
1 cooked 700-800g lobsters, from sustainable sources
olive oil
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 thin rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
4 burger buns
1 clove of garlic
tomato ketchup
mayonnaise, made using free-range eggs
1 lemon
1 handful of watercress
1 soft round lettuce
1 red onion
GRATED TOMATO SALSA
2 ripe tomatoes (use 1 yellow if you like)
½ a fresh red chilli
extra virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar

Method
For the salsa, put a fine-to-coarse grater over a chopping board and grate your tomatoes to a slurry. You’ll end up with seeds and skin on one side, slurry on the other – get rid of the seeds and skin.
Grate in the chilli and season well. Add a lug of oil, a swig of vinegar and stir in some chopped fresh herbs, if you have any.
Twist off the lobster tails, then cut into 2cm slices (use the rivets of the tail as guides). Leave the shell on to protect the meat as it cooks and help keep its shape.
Toss the chunks in oil, sea salt, black pepper and mustard, then barbecue for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until cooked. Peel.
Barbecue the bacon, turning after a couple of minutes, till golden and crispy.
Halve and toast the buns at the same time, then lay the bottom halves on a nice board. Halve the garlic and rub the cut side over each one.
Drizzle with oil, then add a tiny blob of ketchup, 1 teaspoon of mayo and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Click off the lettuce leaves and place one onto each bun with a nice wodge of watercress. Top with the lobster and salsa, and crumble over the bacon.
Peel, finely slice and scatter over some red onion, and top with the bun lid. Secure the burgers with skewers, then serv

Ingredients
600 g minced chuck steak , (16% fat)
English mustard
4 brioche burger buns
40 g Red Leicester cheese
PULLED OXTAIL
1 kg oxtail , trimmed, cut into rounds (ask your butcher)
2 red onions
olive oil
40 g plain flour
Worcestershire sauce
1.5 litres quality organic chicken stock
½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (15g)
BURGER SAUCE
2 gherkins
1 ripe tomato
1 little gem lettuce
100 g natural yoghurt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
Season the oxtail with sea salt and a generous pinch of black pepper, then brown all over in a casserole pan on a medium heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally while you peel and slice the onions.
Remove the oxtail to a plate, add 1 tablespoon of oil and the onions to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Return the oxtail to the pan, stir in the flour to coat, then add 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and the stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and place in the oven for 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes, or until the meat is super tender.
Strain the gravy into a separate pan and put aside, then tip the meat and onions back into the pan.
Once cool enough to handle, carefully pick through the meat, discarding the bones and any wobbly bits, then gently mix back with the onions and a splash each of gravy and Worcestershire sauce, being careful not to break up the meat too much. Pick, roughly chop and stir through the parsley leaves (reserving the stalks).
For the burger sauce, finely chop the gherkins, tomato, little gem and reserved parsley stalks, then transfer to a bowl, stir in the yoghurt and season to perfection.
Shape the minced meat into four equal-sized patties, being quite rough so they’re not too compact, then season the outsides with salt and pepper.
I like to cook two burgers at a time to achieve perfection, so get two pans on the go – a large non-stick pan on a high heat for the burgers and another on a medium heat for the buns.
Place two patties in the large pan, pressing them down slightly with a fish slice, then cook for 8 minutes in total, turning every minute and brushing with a little English mustard after the first turn. Put the gravy and oxtail pans on a low heat to warm through.
When the burgers are almost cooked, halve and toast two burger buns in the second frying pan. Finely slice the cheese and place on top of each burger, add a splash of water to the pan, then cover with a lid or a metal bowl and cook for a further 30 seconds, or until the cheese has melted.
To assemble the burgers, spoon a quarter of the burger sauce on to each toasted bun base, sit a burger on top, spoon over 1 tablespoon of the pulled oxtail (save the rest for another day) and place the bun lid on top. Serve the gravy in a bowl on the side for dunking. Repeat with the remaining two burger

Ingredients
1 ripe sweet pear
50 g mixed spinach, rocket & watercress
150 g higher-welfare minced pork
1 soft burger bun
30 g blue cheese

Method
Slice the pear lengthways as finely as you can. Toss gently with the salad leaves, a little drizzle each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, and a pinch of black pepper.
Scrunch the minced pork in your clean hands with a pinch of seasoning, then shape into a 1cm-thick patty. Rub with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, then place in a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat for 2 minutes, while you halve and toast the bun alongside, removing it when golden.
Flip the burger, then, after 2 minutes, crumble the blue cheese next to it to melt. Move the burger on top of the oozy cheese, jiggle around to coat, then put it on your bun base.
Stack in as much pear and salad as the bun will hold, pop the lid on, squash and devour, with any extra salad on the side.

Ingredients
3 chestnut mushrooms
125 g higher-welfare beef mince
2 rashers of higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
1 soft bun
2 heaped teaspoons soured cream
1 gherkin
25 g Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Method
Trim the stalk and base off each mushroom, giving you a beautiful cross-section (saving the offcuts for another day). Place the mushrooms cut side down on one side of a large dry non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Cook for 5 minutes while you scrunch and work the mince with your hands. Divide into two equal balls, flatten each to just under ½cm thick, then pat and push a rasher of bacon on to each one.

Turn the mushrooms, put the burgers into the pan, bacon side down, sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and fry hard and fast for 2 minutes, pressing down with a fish slice to crisp up the bacon, then flip to fry for just 1 minute on the other side. Move the mushrooms on top of the burgers, then halve the bun and quickly toast alongside. Remove the bun to a serving board, spread with the soured cream, stack in your burgers and mushrooms, then slice and add the gherkin.

Off the heat, coarsely grate the cheese in a pile at the cleanest side of the pan, pour the Worcestershire sauce on top, then tilt the pan and stir vigorously for 30 seconds until it combines into an oozy consistency. Pour the rarebit mixture over the burger stack and put the bun lid on. Devour.

Ingredients
olive oil
2 large onions , peeled and finely sliced
600 g quality minced chuck steak
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme , tied together
French's yellow mustard
4 thin slices good melting cheese, such as Cheddar
8 rashers higher-welfare smoked streaky bacon
4 sesame seed buns , halved
FOR THE MAYO
200 g low-fat mayonnaise , made with free-range eggs
2 teaspoons gentleman's relish
1 lemon

Method
When you’re buying your chuck, don’t go for the lean variety – you want it to have a bit of fat as this will keep the burgers lovely and juicy as they cook. You’re not adding anything to the meat so make sure you work it well to create lovely patty shapes. Ask your butcher to mince the steak for you or just pulse it a few times in a food processor.
Put a pan on a high heat and add a lug of olive oil. Once hot, add the onion, turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring often, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until soft and sticky.
To make the flavoured mayo, simply empty the mayo into a bowl and whisk with the gentleman’s relish. Have a taste and add a squeeze or two of lemon juice.
Put a griddle pan or large frying pan on a high heat to get nice and hot. Divide the minced steak into 4 portions, then pat and shape each portion into a burger patty, about 2cm thick. Drizzle the burgers with a little olive oil then add to the hot griddle or frying pan. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until nicely charred. Sprinkle them with a pinch of salt and pepper, then turn them over and use the thyme as a brush to coat the burgers with a little mustard. Lay a slice of cheese on each burger so it starts to melt. Cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. These timings will give you blushing burgers, but cook yours for a little longer if you prefer.
Meanwhile, put a large frying pan on a high heat and add your bacon. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Transfer it to a plate and carefully wipe the pan clean with a ball of kitchen paper. Toast the buns in the hot pan – you’ll need to do this in 2 batches.
Layer up the cheese burgers in the toasted buns with a dollop of flavoured mayo, the bacon and sticky onions. Serve with homemade French fries, salad and a few gherkins, if you like.