This is my all time favourite home cooked hamburger. The moist meat patty is plump and tasty and is layered inside a soft wholemeal bun, with ripe-red juicy tomatoes, crunchy cos lettuce and cucumbers, a drizzle of mayonnaise, dijon mustard and tomato sauce. There is nothing fancy about My Home Cooked Hamburgers and they are certainly not eaten with a knife and fork. All you need is an appreciative appetite and a supply of paper serviettes. 

Although I cooked my double batch of patties on the barbecue, you can also do this using a frypan with a little olive oil. It will take much longer and make far more mess but the upside is that the patties will still be delicious, provided that you use good quality mince. I bought a big bag of fresh mince from Chilcott’s Butchery, but have also previously used a combination of beef and lamb, and pork and veal. 

Kids especially enjoy constructing their own edible masterpiece so lay out all the fillings on serving plates, along with condiments. Encourage little ones who may not be keen on ingredients such as tomatoes, to stuff a couple of slices into their hamburger, be adventurous and take a bite. It’s surprising how very often they exclaim, “This tomato actually tastes better than I thought it would!”

I have in the past gone to the effort of mixing, kneading and baking my own bread rolls which taste sensational, especially when hot from the oven. Combined with hand whisked egg mayonnaise, the hamburger is no longer humble. However, when time is of the essence and children are insisting that they are “starving” despite polishing off a substantial home cooked lunch, a bag or two of fresh, bakery bought rolls and a jar of the Paul Newman brand of egg mayonnaise will do. By working swiftly you can have this meal on the table from start to finish in under 30 minutes – it takes even less time if cooking for fewer people. 

My Home Cooked Hamburgers makes 28 patties – 30

Ingredients
2 kg good quality beef mince
2 large eggs
1 heaped teaspoon sea salt and a good grind of black pepper
1 level teaspoon dried Italian herbs
3 tablespoons semolina or dried breadcrumbs
1 small Spanish onion and 1 medium carrot, both finely chopped using a food processor. If you don’t have one available, then finely dice the onion and grate the carrot. 

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and with very clean hands, mix together until combined. 

Scoop up handfuls of mixture and roll into balls the size of a plump summer peach. Place these on a flat tay or platter. 

Carefully drizzle olive oil onto your preheated BBQ plate and place the hamburger balls onto the plate, gently pressing down on each one (using a heatproof spatula or similar) to form a thick round circular shape. You will probably need to cook the patties in several lots unless you halve the mixture and make a smaller quantity. 

After 5 minutes, flip over the patties and cook for another 5 minutes or until cooked to your liking. 

Serve hot as a traditional hamburger or with fluffy mashed potatoes and a big garden salad, or leave to cool down for 30 minutes and then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat within 2 days. 

These also make an excellent school lunch, either wedged between a roll or nestled amongst salad veggies. Include an icepack in the lunch box or insulated bag to keep the hamburgers fresh and cool.