Much as I love vegetarian food, there are moments, usually when I’m feeling tired, when I crave red meat. It’s as if my body is telling me that it needs more iron, more animal protein and all the nutrients that red meat provides.

For me, a good burger is a delicious way to get it, and it’s more economical than a steak. It can be ordered quickly when you’re out and while the

de luxe chains that cook them to order take longer than the fast-food giants, I think the final product is generally better, both in taste and nutrition.

A good burger is also a useful way to get children to eat red meat which, despite all the worries over fatty diets, nourishes them.

If you’re eating a beef- burger in a restaurant, try to order one with a low fat level and without extra cheese, which takes the fat content sky-high. Some fast-food chains add a lot of salt to their burgers, too, while the more de luxe brands use all sorts of spices and perhaps take more care over the taste, so their salt levels tend to be lower.

Also worrying is the fact that when fried or grilled meats such as beefburgers are cooked, the iron from the blood acts as a powerful oxidant and increases the amount of what are known as COPs, cholesterol oxidation products. COPs raise the levels of bad LDL cholesterol and increase platelet stickiness, which increases the tendency to form blood clots.

Fries and thick milkshakes, if eaten more than just occasionally, take the sugar and fat levels up into the stratosphere.

The latest trend in some of the posher burger bars is to serve the burger without the bun, a sort of Atkins burger. This is a shame if the bun is fresh and made with a good bread dough, such as the rolls served with the burgers at the famous Borough Market in South East London. The bread adds carbohydrate, which along with the protein from the beefburger, plus the veggies such as salad leaves, tomatoes, onions, etc, makes a well-rounded meal.

At home, you can use all sorts of good ingredients. I prefer to make my own burgers and I aim to use 5 per cent fat mince, or at most

10 per cent. If you buy from a local butcher, ask how much fat there is, or otherwise ask for the leanest meat possible.

I frequently use spices or fresh herbs such as basil or parsley but in the recipe below I’ve used cumin and coriander seeds to give some spice. It’s pretty subtle but strong enough not to need additional salt. I sometimes like to include wild rice; it makes the burger lighter in texture and contains powerful antioxidants that help to reduce the formation of COPs.

I serve the burgers in fresh crusty wholemeal buns or in Italian bread such as focaccia, with sliced ripe tomato, thinly sliced red onion, bitter leaves such as rocket and sliced ripe avocado. You can use minced lamb or pork instead of beef.

Spice as nice

Makes 4 burgers
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
750g minced beef (ideally extra lean 5 per cent fat and not more than 10 per cent)
2 tsp English mustard
A pinch of cumin seeds
½ tbsp coriander seeds
1 egg, beaten
75g wholemeal breadcrumbs
75g cooked wild rice
Plenty of freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil and sweat the onions in it until they soften, but don’t let them colour. Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl, add the onions and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Heat a small glug of olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Shape the mixture into four patties and fry them gently for six to eight minutes on each side. I love them a little pink in the middle, but cook them for longer if you prefer your meat well done.

Jane answers your queries in times2 on Tuesdays; e-mail jane.clarke@thetimes.co.uk and visit www.janeclarke.com

This week in The Times Magazine Jane Clarke tells the story of her search for her adopted daughter Maya. Click on link, top right

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