sausage burgers with cheese and fennel scones recipe

You might wonder, 'Why not just have hot dogs?' - sausage burgers are much easier to eat, with the meat sitting safely in it's bun, and nicer, with none of that sausage skin, slight sliminess and worry about the pink middle when cooked on a fire or barbecue.

The deliciousness of these burgers depends on the quality of the sausagemeat. Serve these at a firework party on the 5th November.

Makes 12-15 burgers (about 7cm diameter)

• 1kg quality sausagemeat (this could be squeezed out of ready-made sausages)
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (you can exclude this if cooking for young children)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• salt and black pepper
• flour, for dusting
• olive oil, for frying

Put the sausagemeat into a large bowl with the onion, chilli flakes (if using) and rosemary and mix well with a fork. Season generously with salt and black pepper. Transfer the mixture to a floured surface and shape into burgers. (Have some flour on the side for dusting your hands.)

Heat some oil in a large frying pan or oil a barbecue grill and cook the burgers over a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with some red pepper and onion relish, inside cheese and fennel scones.

Cheese and fennel seed scones

These are excellent with strong-flavoured autumn or winter soups, and could not be further from the cheese scone cliché. They're perfect for lifting a bowl of soup from the everyday, and also make ideal rolls for sausage or chicken burgers at a fireworks party. They are quick and easy to do for lots of people, and they freeze brilliantly.

Makes about 6 scones

• 250g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 3 teaspoons fennel seeds
• salt and black pepper
• 40g butter
• 130g Gouda or Cheddar cheese, grated
• 150ml milk, yoghurt or buttermilk
• 1 egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6 and heat a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the mustard powder, paprika, fennel seeds and some salt and pepper. Using your fingertips, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in two-thirds of the cheese.

Add the liquid and, using your hands, gather the mixture into a ball and place on a floured surface. Knead lightly; scone dough must not be overworked. Roll out to a thickness of 2cm and, using a round 5cm biscuit cutter, cut about 6 scones.

Transfer the scones to the preheated baking sheet. Brush each one with beaten egg and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until risen and golden brown.

These recipes appear on p.289 and p.257 of Sarah Raven's Food for Friends and Family Cookbook.