Raise the subject of beef burgers on any barbecue forum or social media site, and you open a can of worms! From those for whom the smash burger is everything to those who insist on a certain mix of beef cuts, those who won’t season until cooking is finished, and those who add everything but the kitchen sink!
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a lightly seasoned burger made of chuck beef that I’ve ground/minced myself, but in the real world, that’s not always possible.
This recipe came from a family friend from Taiwan. It is a marinade and basting sauce that is equally good on barbecued chicken or duck. Because of the large amount of sugar, it is important to cook the poultry with indirect heat to minimize char.
In 2014, I wrote: “Until recently, I’ve never been really happy with using water instead of stock for the vegetarian soups; vegetable stock powder invariably gives a celery flavour to the whole soup, and to be honest, even when I’ve made vegetable stock, I’ve never been really happy with it.“
“However, I think I’ve found the answer, at least for mushroom soups. Dried Porcini absolutely transforms them. I’d never bothered with it until now because of the price. But recently I’ve been looking for things that help to lower my calorie intake and have been surprised; it’s not always the lower-calorie items that are best. For example, you get far more ‘bang for your buck’ from, say, high-calorie Stilton than a reduced-calorie cheese. Just try it: tiny pieces of Stilton will add flavour, whereas you’d need double the amount of the lower-calorie product. Well, when I was thinking along these lines, I also realised that the same applies to using very small amounts of expensive items, and there’s no doubt that Porcini is expensive: £60 – £80 per kilo, but if you only use 10 g it’s only 60p, or about 10p per bowl.“
That’s as true now as it was then; well, except that the price is £110 – £125 a kilo now!
I’ve called this ‘A Taste of Houmous’ as it’s by no means a typical recipe. On the one hand, it plays fast and loose with traditional recipes by using a non-traditional ingredient, but on the other, it just applies logic to the ingredients.
These are a great addition to the buffet table. To be honest, I’m not sure which I prefer: the ‘real’ sausage rolls or these cheese and onion ones. Both are superb, and so worth making your own. There’s a world of difference between these and the shop-bought varieties of either.
I’ve been holding off on posting this recipe as it’s not really mine, but I couldn’t think where it came from. And then, when searching for something else, the website came up. The original recipe that this is based on is from The Mediterranean Dish website – it’s a great site, well worth a look.
Mine’s a little bit of a dumbed-down version – less herbs and spice, but it suits us.
Congratulations to Round Corner Brewing of Melton-Mowbray, who have won the UK Brewer of the Year award at the International Beer Challenge 2026.
All five beers that the brewery entered into the competition won awards. Steeplechase Pale Ale, 10 Hours in L.A. – Pacific Pale Ale, and Frisby Lager won Gold. Hopping Spree West Coast IPA and Drovers Hazy Session IPA won Bronze.
The brewery is situated at Melton Mowbray Market, Scalford Road, Melton Mowbray. LE13 1JY.
