Traditionally this time of year, a lot of folks join gyms and diet-classes and deprive themselves of all the good things eaten over the festive period with a view to maybe squeezing in the bikini or trunks (God help us) this summer. Well good for everyone, healthy and home cooked food will always get a big thumbs up from me.

That said, we all still need a bit of indulgence and I’d guess that this fits the bill pretty well. Using up some left over pate, cheddar and pickled red cabbage this is a kind of deconstructed beef wellington and a big nod to the recent holidays. It works together beautifully well together of course so do try it.

Makes two “quarter pounder” sized burgers:

• 250g or 1/2 lb good minced/ground steak with some fat in, don’t use lean.
• 1 large tomato, thickly sliced
• 2 tbsp or so of pate (I used wild boar and mushroom)
• Salad leaves
• Pickled red cabbage
• 2 handfuls of mature Cheddar
• 2 burger buns
• Salt and pepper

Add to the mince about a quarter a tsp of salt and a good twist of black pepper per burger. Mix well but gently with your hands so as not to ‘mush’ the mince too much.

Make into rounds and leave in the fridge to set. You might want to fry off a bit of the mixture to test the seasoning….

Griddle or grill the burgers until just done – I love them pink when I can get hold of good (or better still make my own) minced beef. Use a griddle pan to toast the buns a little with some nice char marks:

Then simply melt the cheese on and stack the burger up. Simple pleasures eh?