Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes 

Ingredients (Makes 8) 
1lb courgettes
8oz onions, sliced
8oz bacon cut into 1in. (2.5cm) cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus extra for frying burgers
4oz Stilton cheese – chopped to fine crumbs
4oz freshly made breadcrumbs
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives
2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sauce
Flour for rolling and shaping 

STEP 1 Grate the courgettes on to a large plate and sprinkle liberally with salt. Put aside for 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile fry the onions and bacon in one tablespoon of oil until the onions start to brown and bacon is crispy. Tip out on to kitchen paper to drain. 

STEP 2 Put the grated courgette in a towel and squeeze it into a ball to remove all excess moisture. Tip into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. 

STEP 3 On a generously floured board, work an eighth of the mixture until you can make it into a ball, and then gently flatten it into a burger shape.  Repeat with the rest of the mixture to make 8 burgers. 

STEP 4 Fry in hot oil for 2-3 minutes each side until browned. Serve warm with salad.  

TOP TIP
The mixture is quite soft so gentle handling and a little bit of patience is required when shaping. You can make your burgers in advance and refrigerate them for a few hours before frying.

Amateur Gardening, the UK’s best selling weekly gardening magazine, is delighted to be associated with leading seed suppliers Mr Fothergill’s who have been providing our excellent range of cover mounted seeds since 2007. They also supply an extensive range of vegetable seeds and if you care about what you eat, now’s the time to start growing your own. To whet your appetite here are a few recipes from Amateur Gardening’s weekly Grow, cook & eat feature which I hope will inspire you to have a go at growing – and cooking – some simple crops if you don’t already do so.