Happy beef burger memories!

Many years ago, Warren and I used to run a folk club in Plymouth, Devon, which was very well supported and gave us innumerable happy times, not to mention a huge number of great new friendships.  Very often several of us (performers and non-performers alike) would "go on" after the musical evening, a favourite venue being a cafe/bistro on North Hill called "The Load O' Bull", which specialised in beef dishes - homemade burgers in particular!

They were very happy, fun times and have a treasured place in our shared memory ... mostly because of the people and laughter involved, but also because of the great food we enjoyed there.  (They used to do a "kitchen sink" type dessert, including sparklers, which was called "Custer's Last Stand"!)  We usually plumped for a burger, with one of their delicious toppings, and last night we relived those times a little, with our own version of a "Load O' Bull" burger!

Using best quality, British lean steak mince, the burgers were formed with nothing more added than a sprinkle of Cajun spices and a shake each of Lee & Perrins (Worcestershire sauce) and light soy sauce - although they could, of course, be flavoured with whatever you like.  They were then fried in a little oil, leaving the first side alone to get well-sealed and begin to blacken before turning over (this prevents sticking and falling apart ... don't fiddle with it!!).  Total cooking time should be no longer than 10 minutes, absolute max.

We toasted the inside of a split sesame seed bap, then added our favourite two toppings - garlic mushrooms (just sliced and cooked in a bit of butter and garlic) and a blue cheese sauce (Stilton crumbled into sour cream).  We served it with a small side salad, drizzled with balsamic glaze, and a dollop of coleslaw.

It certainly brought back some precious, happy memories.  The only things missing were a few old friends, a glass of chilled beer and a sexy waiter!!

V  For a vegetarian option, just substitute the beef burger for your favourite veggie burger ... and pretend you have some great memories of a place called "The Load O' Veg" !!