Burgers get a lot of bad press and rightly so, most of the time. But this simple combination of a few ingredients can be as delicious and healthy as you like. I use good organic mince mixed with a little garlic, some cooked onion, salt and pepper, and an egg to bind it. I sometimes add some crushed spices, chopped fresh herbs, maybe a little chopped chilli or some tabasco or Worcestershire sauce.

One thing you do need for making burgers is meat that has a good amount of fat on it . . . if you choose meat that is too lean, you will lose out on quite a lot of flavour and the burgers will be dry.

Homemade burgers Makes four good-sized burgers This is the basic recipe for hamburgers, made with minced beef, but can be changed to suit your tastes.

I adore pork burgers with chopped sage (in place of the parsley and thyme), or try the spicy lamb burgers, below.

10g butter 75g onion, finely chopped 450g minced beef 1/4 tsp chopped thyme One tsp chopped parsley One egg, beaten Salt and pepper Olive oil To Serve Ciabatta bread Four lettuce leaves Mayonnaise mixed with Ballymaloe Relish Cucumber pickle Or a bottle of sweet chilli sauce Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the onion and sweat over a gentle heat until it is soft and very pale golden. Leave to get cold.

Meanwhile, mix the mince with the herbs and egg, season with salt and pepper.

Add the onions, and mix.

Cook on the frying pan with a little olive oil on a medium heat.

Turn over halfway through cooking . . . you might need to turn the heat down so as not to burn the burgers. If you are cooking a couple of batches of burgers, clean the pan between batches. While the burgers are cooking, split the ciabatta horizontally, and toast under the grill.

Then put a lettuce leaf in the bread, some mayonnaise with relish, and some cucumber pickle, pop the hot cooked burger inside, and eat.

Handy hints: When shaping the burgers, make sure that they are not too thick. If they are they will take too long to cook, and may get too charred on the outside.

>> When making burgers it can be quite difficult to gauge the seasoning correctly, so it is a good idea to fry a tiny bit of the burger mixture, taste it, and then adjust the seasoning if necessary.

>> If you like you can brown the burgers on both sides on the pan, then transfer into a moderate oven until they are cooked. If you want them well-cooked they should feel firm in the centre.

>> Don't be afraid to experiment with the flavouring here. Beef burgers are delicious with some chopped chilli and coriander instead of the parsley and thyme; or try adding some cayenne pepper, ground cumin and coriander to lamb burgers.

Spicy lamb burgers in pitta bread As above (beef burgers ) but omit the thyme and parsley, and use minced lamb. Add one tsp freshly ground cumin, one tsp freshly ground coriander seeds, 1/4tsp freshly ground cinnamon and two cloves of crushed garlic. Cook as above and serve in toasted ciabatta or warm pitta breads, with some sliced tomatoes and coriander leaves.

Spicy pork burgers Serves 6 750g minced pork Two cloves of crushed or grated garlic One tsp grated fresh ginger Two tbsp chopped coriander Two tbsp cornflour One egg, lightly beaten Put the pork, garlic, ginger, coriander, cornflour, egg and some salt and pepper in a bowl and work together with your hands until evenly mixed. Shape into burger patties. Heat a frying pan, add a drop of sunflower or olive oil, and cook on a medium heat till cooked on the inside and golden on the outside. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Mushroom burgers with caramelised garlic aioli Serves 4 Mushrooms, with their meaty texture and earthy flavour, provide vegetarians and meat eaters with a great meat-free alternative to hamburgers. Here they are served with a garlic sauce, but you can also serve them traditionally with mustard, salad, cheese and pickles.

Eight large portobello or flat mushrooms Four tbsp olive oil Four large burger buns, halved A handful of rocket Chilli relish, see below Sea salt and black pepper Caramelised garlic aioli One large head of garlic Two egg yolks One tsp Dijon mustard One tsp lemon juice 200ml olive oil To make the caramelised garlic aioli, wrap the garlic head in foil and bake in a preheated oven at 2000C, gas mark 6, for 45-50 minutes until the garlic is really soft. Let cool, then squeeze the garlic puree out of each clove into a bowl.

Put the egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and the garlic puree in a food processor, or a medium bowl, and whisk or blend for a few seconds. With the blade running, gradually pour in the oil through the funnel until the sauce is thickened and all the oil incorporated, or if making by hand, add in the oil, drop by drop, whisking all the time so that it emulsifies.

Transfer the aioli to a bowl, cover and chill until required.

Peel the mushroom caps and trim the stalks so that they are flat with the cups.

Brush lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and fry or grill for four-five minutes on each side until softened and cooked through.

Toast the buns and fill with the mushrooms, caramelised garlic aioli, chilli relish and some rocket. Serve hot.

Other good things to serve with burgers Roast potato wedges Serves 4-6 One kg potatoes, scrubbed well . . . I don't normally peel for this, though you can About 50ml olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 2300C, gas mark 9. Cut the potatoes into wedges, and dry them very well with kitchen paper. Put them in a bowl and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat them evenly, toss with your hands, and season with sea salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a baking tray and pop into the hot oven and cook until the potatoes are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, about 25 minutes.

Handy hints: If these need to keep warm for any amount of time in the oven , do not cover them.

>> For spicy potato wedges , sprinkle with 1/2-one tsp chilli powder or dried chilli flakes.

>> You can also add whole garlic cloves (peeled or not ) halfway through cooking, and whole rosemary or thyme sprigs are good too, also added in halfway through cooking.

Chilli relish This delicious chilli relish is good with burgers, sausages, in a sandwich , with cheese etc etc. I love having some of this in the fridge.

500g tomatoes, coarsely chopped One red onion, coarsely chopped Two cloves of crushed or grated garlic Two-four red chillis, coarsely chopped Two tbsp Worcestershire sauce 200g brown sugar 150ml red wine vinegar One tsp salt To make the relish, put the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chillis in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Transfer the mixture to a saucepan, add the Worcestershire sauce, sugar, vinegar and the salt.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened. Let cool, and keep in the fridge.

Cucumber pickle Not only is this good in burgers and all kinds of sandwiches, but it is wonderful with cold sliced meats, smoked fish, and transforms a humble hard boiled egg and a chunk of cheddar into a feast. It is a pickle so even though it will lose its vibrant green colour, it will keep for a couple of months.

900g thinly sliced unpeeled cucumber Two small onions, thinly sliced 350g sugar One tbsp salt 225ml cider vinegar or white wine vinegar Mix the cucumber and onion in a large bowl, add the sugar, salt and vinegar, and mix well to combine.

Make one hour ahead, if possible.

Tomato and cucumber raita Makes about 500ml I love raitas . . . this one is really good with the spicy lamb burgers Three-four ripe red tomatoes, chopped into approx one cm pieces, or 16 cherry tomatoes, quartered Half a cucumber, deseeded and chopped One clove of crushed or grated garlic 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds 225ml natural yoghurt . . . Greek yoghurt is good as it is nice and thick Two tbsp chopped coriander or mint Salt and pepper, and a pinch of sugar Mix all the ingredients together, and taste for seasoning. Don't prepare this too far in advance, any more than a couple of hours and it starts to go quite thin.