There are certain foods that need a secret ingredient.

Perhaps the most obvious example is a fish cake. By itself a fish cake is nothing more than a mash of fish and potato. It needs something to lift it out of the ordinary and in my case that is always a good squirt of tomato ketchup (Heinz – always) and a couple of drops of tabasco.

It is the same with a beef burger. It doesn’t matter how good the beef might be and how fresh the herbs, if that is all there is there will be something lacking. There will be a need for some sweetness and guilt. I have in the past made do with ketchup but this evening I found my true answer in the plastic bottle of Sriracha Chilli Sauce that was lurking just beyond the chopping board.

I squeezed a good squirt over the bowl of minced beef, breadcrumbs and herbs and spent a happy five minutes working the mixture through with my fingers listening to The Allman Brothers.

The burgers took 20 minutes to cook through in a large frying pan and we ate them in soft baps with salad from the garden, tomatoes and onion marmalade.