Summer’s back! We sat out on the balcony listening to the sirens of Finsbury Park last night, with barely a thought of turning the heating back on. I said barely. And with the welcome rise in temperature comes the promise of, and requirement for food that can be eaten outside, food that needs the merest smidgen of prep and cooking, yet is still full of zing. These lamb burgers are perfect on all counts. Easy to knock together in four steps (if you use ready-made tapenade) or five (if you make your own; there’s a recipe below), they are really fresh and moreish. I made them in a frying pan but I’m pretty sure they’d work on a barbecue too. Serve them with a salad, or in pitta breads with chopped tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce.

Lamb mini-burgers with tapenade and feta (adapted from a recipe in, I think, Waitrose magazine)

For 4 servings you will need:

Cupboard (or things you may already have)
Olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper

Shopping list
500g minced lamb
4 tablespoons olive and anchovy tapenade
100g feta

How to:
1. Mix the lamb with the tapenade in a bowl. Give it a good few stirs so that everything is combined properly. Chill for a short while (I left it in the fridge for about 10 minutes).

2. When you’re ready to make them, take the mixture out of the fridge and divide it up, either into four big patties, or, using a couple of dessertspoons, into lots of smaller ones.

3. Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a frying pan then fry the patties/burgers for a few minutes on each side until cooked. They should be cooked right through unless you like them a bit rarer. The small ones will take 2-5 minutes in total, the larger ones a little longer.

4. Place a piece of feta on top of each one (easier with the larger ones than the small ones) and serve.

Tapenade (adapted from Jill Dupleix’s new food)
You’ll need a blender for this, unless you want some exercise…

Cupboard (or things you may already have)
About 3 tablespoons olive oil (you may need a tad more or less)
Sea salt and black pepper

Shopping list
2 cups (about 300g drained weight) black olives, rinsed if in brine
4 anchovies (from a tin or a jar)
1 dried chilli, crushed
2 tablespoons capers (rinsed if in brine)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

How to
Put the olives, anchovies, dried chilli, capers, lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of oil into a blender or food processor and blend to a thick paste. Add a little more olive oil if it sticks or is too thick. Season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

This will keep in the fridge in an airtight jar or plastic tub for a couple of weeks or so.